FRESH-FIG CAKE WITH HONEY CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



Fresh-Fig Cake With Honey Cream-Cheese Frosting image

This dense and deeply figgy cake, adapted from Eli's Table in Manhattan, gets its complex flavor from a combination of fresh figs and fig jam, seasoned generously with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. It's then filled and topped with cream cheese frosting that is sweetened with a combination of confectioners' sugar for lightness and honey for richness. Over all, it's a bit like carrot cake, except softer and sweeter. You can make the cake two to three days ahead and store it, well wrapped or under a cake dome, in the refrigerator. It gets even moister as it sits. If you can't get fresh figs, chopped peeled apple works nicely as a substitute.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories     cakes, dessert

Time 1h30m

Yield 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

Butter, for greasing the pan
3 cups/384 grams all-purpose flour, more for flouring the pan
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups/300 grams granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain yogurt
3/4 cup/116 grams chopped fresh figs (3 to 4 figs)
3/4 cup/225 grams fig jam
3/4 cup/85 grams chopped pecans or walnuts
12 tablespoons/180 grams unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
2 cups/16 ounces/454 grams cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons/60 grams honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 2/3 cups/450 grams confectioners' sugar
1 cup sliced fresh figs (about 5 figs)

Steps:

  • Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch cake pan (or two 9-inch pans), and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking soda and salt.
  • Using an electric mixer, whisk to combine sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Whisk in oil and buttermilk or yogurt to combine.
  • Using a rubber spatula, gently fold dry ingredients into egg mixture just until combined. Fold in figs, jam and pecans.
  • Scrape into prepared cake pan and bake until browned and springy to the touch, about 65 to 75 minutes (or 35 to 45 minutes for the 9-inch pans). If the top gets too dark before the cake is finished baking, cover it with foil. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
  • While cake is cooling, make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and salt on low speed until smooth. Beat in honey and vanilla, then beat in confectioners' sugar.
  • To assemble the cake, remove cooled cake from pan and peel off parchment paper. Slice cake in half horizontally, so you end up with 2 layers. (You don't need to do this for the 9-inch cakes.) Spread half the frosting between the layers, sandwiching it. Dollop remaining frosting in a thick layer on top of the cake, leaving a 1-inch border on the top of the cake, the sides, bare. Chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, top with sliced figs.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 889, UnsaturatedFat 25 grams, Carbohydrate 111 grams, Fat 48 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 19 grams, Sodium 397 milligrams, Sugar 80 grams, TransFat 1 gram

There are no comments yet!