Every beach-side cafe in Australia - in fact, pretty much every cafe - stocks ample supplies of friands. Friands are so ubiquitous, in the nicest possible way, it feels like Australia has somehow appropriated this delicious little sponge cake as its own invention, which of course isn’t true. Friands are based on French financiers (so-called because they were originally made in the shape of gold bars according to one theory), and traditionally made from ground almonds, very little flour, beurre noisette, egg whites and icing sugar. This mix results in dense and moist little mouthfuls. Australians have added their own embellishments like fruit and citrus and the antipodean way is to cook them in distinctive oval-shaped moulds.

Semolina

There’s a terrific cafe near us called Boscanova which always has a ready supply of friands, but apart from that, these tasty little sponge bites are bafflingly hard to come by in the UK. (Just like Twisties. Crazy.) So on Saturday morning, with leftover egg whites to use up, friands seemed the way to go. Sadly, I discovered late in the process (after the butter had melted and everything else was in the bowl) that my supplies of ground almonds were decimated in the Mother’s Day macaron-making frenzy. So I had a stab at making them with semolina and they worked really well.

The semolina adds a little crunch to the cakes, which is fitting because they are more of a grown-up bite than a cupcake. Plus, the semolina is terrific for soaking up the juices of the diced pear. Be careful not to overcook them - they probably won’t go completely golden on top because of the pear pieces - so poke the friands gently after 20 minutes. If they seem firm and springy, take them out of the oven without delay. They are also best eaten on the day you make them.

Semolina and pear friands

Makes 12

• 115g unsalted butter, melted
• 115g semolina
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 125g icing sugar
• 3½ tablespoons self-raising flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 3 egg whites (about 95g)
• 1 pear

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line the holes of a 12-hole muffin tray with small paper cases (not large muffin cases).

2. Combine the semolina, lemon zest, icing sugar, flour and all spice in a bowl and add the egg whites, stirring well. Add the melted butter to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients amalgamate.

3. Divide the mixture equally between the paper cases. Chop the pear into small dice - no need at all to remove the peel - and sprinkle over the friands. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until firm to touch.