This sophisticated Hazelnut Fig Cake is gently spiced, full of flavors including dried figs, fresh figs and dark brown muscovado sugar, and is finished with a decadent fig cream cheese icing. You don’t want to miss out on this cake!
Ingredients
Cake
- 6 dried figs, chopped into small pieces
- 75ml hot strong coffee
- 200g blanched hazelnuts
- 200g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 225g dark brown muscovado sugar
- 50g greek yogurt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 200g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
Filling
- 100ml strong coffee
- 15 dried figs, chopped into small pieces
Frosting
- 250g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1lb powdered sugar
- 4oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tbsp fig filling
- 1/2 tsp sald
- 10 fresh figs
- roasted hazlenuts
Instructions
Cake
- Put the 6 dried figs and hot coffee in a cup together and let sit while preparing the batter.
- Heat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Grease and flour two 8in round cake pans.
- Once the oven has heated, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for about 7-8 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and pulse 75g of the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Set aside the rest to garnish the cake with later.
- Add the 75ml of coffee and figs and whizz the food processor until combined.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, yogurt, eggs and vanilla bean paste and turn the food processor on for 10-15 seconds. Take the blade out, scrape the bowl down and whizz for 10 more seconds.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl. Fold together until combined.
- Pour half into each prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Filling
- Chop the 15 dried figs and combine with the strong coffee. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- After the figs have soaked in the coffee, pulse them in a food processor with the coffee until it becomes a paste. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the mixture for the frosting.
Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, vanilla extract and cream cheese and beat until smooth.
- Add half the sugar and mix until combined.
- Add the reserved 3 tablespoons of fig paste and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix again.
- Add the salt and mix to combine.
- You may not need all the sugar, so start slowly adding the remaining sugar. Add a few tablespoons at a time and mix gently until combined, checking the consistency of the frosting. More sugar makes cream cheese frosting softer, so be gently with adding it and beating.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer, top up, on the cake stand. Spread a thin, even layer of frosting over the top to the edges.
- Spoon the fig mixture onto the frosting and spread out leaving about one inch of the edge with no fig.
- Place the second cake layer top down on top of the frosting. Press down gently.
- Place a thin layer of frosting around the outside of the cake. This is called the crumb coat.
- Chill the cake for 20-30 minutes allowing the crumb coat to firm.
- Use the remaining frosting and cover the entire cake with an even layer.
- Keep chilled until ready to serve. Once ready to serve, take the cake out for 10 minutes and prepare the fresh figs and remaining hazelnuts.
- Slice the fresh figs and top the cake with them. Gently chop the remaining roasted hazelnuts and add them to the top of the cake.
Source: JavaCupcake
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