What is a French Baby Cake?

A small buttery almond-based cake with roots in French pastry history, reimagined in Oregon.

Looks like a mini muffin. Tastes like a French pastry.
Baked by Ocemiam (oh-say-me-am), from the French oh, c'est miam! — oh, this is good!

A French Baby Cake is Ocemiam take on the financier, a classic French almond cake known for its rich, moist crumb and buttery flavor.

In France, you find financiers in almost every bakery, enjoyed with coffee or as an afternoon treat. In the U.S., almost nobody knows them yet. That's why we made the French Baby Cake.

A cake with a story

  1. 17th century

    It started in a convent.

    The story goes that in 17th-century France, nuns of the Order of the Visitation baked small almond cakes. They became known as visitandines.

  2. Late 1800s

    Then it moved to Paris.

    Centuries later, in the late 1800s, a Paris pastry chef is said to have revived the recipe in his shop near the Bourse, the Paris stock exchange.

  3. A new name

    And it got a new name.

    He baked the cakes in rectangular molds shaped like gold bars. His customers were bankers and brokers, who could eat them on the go without getting their hands dirty. The cake became the financier, and it has been a staple of French pastry ever since.

  4. 2024

    From the French gold bar to the American round shape.

    In Oregon, Ocemiam gave the financier a new shape, round and bite-sized, and a new name: the French Baby Cake. Freshly baked, then packaged for the grocery store or your doorstep.

The financier, reimagined for today

Ocemiam takes its inspiration from the classic French financier, then reshapes it for the way we eat now.

A shape you already know.

Round and bite-sized, like a mini muffin. Easy to hold, share, and pack.

It looks like a cupcake. It isn't one.

A cupcake is a light wheat-flour sponge, and much of its flavor and sweetness sits in the frosting on top. Take the frosting away and there isn't much left. A French Baby Cake has no frosting because it doesn't need any. The flavor is baked into the cake itself.

It's shaped like a muffin. It eats nothing like one.

A muffin is a quick bread made with wheat flour, fluffy and often loaded with mix-ins or a crumb topping. A French Baby Cake is made with almond flour and French butter, which gives it a denser, moister, more tender bite. It's closer to a fine French pastry than to a breakfast bake.

French Baby Cake Cupcake Muffin
Base Almond flour Wheat flour Wheat flour
Texture Moist, dense, tender Light, airy sponge Fluffy, bread-like
Topping None Frosting Often streusel or sugar
Where the flavor lives In the batter Mostly in the frosting In the mix-ins
Roots French financier American bakery American quick bread

Nothing to hide behind.

No frosting and no industrial ingredients. Everything happens in the batter: almond flour, French butter, and 100% natural ingredients, carefully selected and when quality is the #1 criteria.

One flavor, done properly.

Each cake is built around a single ingredient, used generously.

  • Le Chocolat

    Deep, rich chocolate

  • La Pistache

    Contains 40% pure pistachio

  • La Framboise

    Bright, fruity raspberry

  • L'Amande

    The classic, all about almond

  • La Noisette

    40% hazelnut, a nod to Oregon's hazelnut country

Crafted in Oregon, with a French heart.

Naturally gluten-free


The financier was never designed to be gluten-free. When the recipe was born, gluten wasn't a concern, and in France it's still simply enjoyed as a pastry, not as a gluten-free option. What people notice first is the texture: almond flour and French butter keep it moist, never dry.

Made for demanding palates.

France has high standards when it comes to pastry. With its demanding palates and long baking tradition, a dry cake would never have made it into French bakeries, let alone lasted for centuries.

Moist, the way it was meant to be.

Many recent gluten-free options are dry or crumbly. A French Baby Cake is the opposite: soft and moist, thanks to almond flour and French butter.

The surprise.

People in the U.S. who try a French Baby Cake are always surprised when we tell them it's gluten-free.

How to enjoy it

  • With your morning coffee.The French way. And yes you can dip your French Baby Cake.
  • In the afternoon.With tea, or as a small break in your day.
  • On the go.In a lunchbox, a bag, or the car. No frosting, no mess.
  • As dessert.Next to fresh fruit or a scoop of ice cream.
  • To share.A mixed box on the table lets everyone pick a favorite.

Questions we often hear

How is it different from a madeleine?

A madeleine is a shell-shaped sponge cake made with wheat flour. The financier tradition, and our Baby Cakes, rely on almond flour, which gives a denser, moister, more buttery crumb.

How is it different from a muffin?

It looks familiar, but a muffin is a wheat-flour quick bread, often topped or frosted. A French Baby Cake is a rich almond cake with no frosting, where the flavor comes entirely from the batter.

Are French Baby Cakes gluten-free?

They are made with gluten-free ingredients. The base is almond flour, with no wheat. They are not certified gluten-free.

Where are they made?

In Oregon, from a French recipe tradition.

Where can I buy them?

Online at ocemiam.com with nationwide shipping, and in select flavors at New Seasons Market.

Curious? Try a French Baby Cake.

Now that you know the story, the best way to understand it is to taste it. Choose any 6, one of each flavor or your favorite on repeat.

Try French Baby CakesLooks like a mini muffin. Tastes like a French pastry.