Step 1

Preheat oven to 430 degrees F/ 220 C. Prepare a friand mold or a heart-shaped silicone mold: butter and flour cavities and refrigerate the mold while making the friand batter.

Step 2

melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat till the golden color. Once it is ready (look for the golden brown color, solid brown sediments on the sides and bottom of the pan, and hazelnut smell), pour butter in another bowl to stop cooking. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain through a mini-sieve and discard the solids. Set the brown butter aside.

Step 3

in a bowl, sift flour, powdered (icing) icing sugar, almond flour, ground star anise, and salt. In a separate bowl, slightly beat egg whites with a fork or a hand whisk for a few seconds (they do not need to be mounted). Pour beaten egg whites into the dry mixture and combine. Add the orange zest and brown butter, and mix till the batter becomes homogeneous.

Step 4

Take the prepared mold out of the fridge and fill the cavities up to two-thirds. Arrange two whole blackberries on top. Bake friands for 9 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 410 F/210 C and continue to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes: the edges of friands have to become golden brown, and the centers get a slight "bump." Check the readiness of friands with a toothpick: the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool in the mold. Remove friands and place them on a wire rack. Sprinkle cakes with powdered (icing) sugar.