Another recipe that I've been patiently holding onto until fig season is Dorie Greenspan's "A Fig Cake for Fall" from Baking: From My Home to Yours. This is a cornmeal cake topped by figs that have been poached in ruby port and honey; the poaching liquid is reduced into a sauce that is served with the cake.
I was a bit distracted when I made this cake (I was making two of these cakes at the same time I was making two fig frangipane tarts, so the cake didn't have my full attention), and I accidentally screwed up the poaching liquid. You are supposed to poach halved figs in a mixture of 3/4 cup ruby port, 1/2 cup honey, and a few lemon slices. I accidentally doubled the honey, so my liquid consisted of more honey than port. I poached the figs until they were soft, removed them from the pot, and then cooked the liquid until slightly thickened.
The cake batter is straightforward. You rub together sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is moist and aromatic, beat in room temperature butter, add eggs, honey, and vanilla, and incorporate the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt). You pour the batter into a 9-inch pan (you are supposed to use a springform pan; I used a cheesecake pan with a removable bottom), scatter the poached figs on top, and bake.
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I served my cake the day after I baked it, and I kept my port sauce in the refrigerator overnight. The next day the chilled sauce was the exact color and consistency of grape jelly. It loosened up considerably after I stirred it vigorously, but it was still quite viscous. I'm sure the fact that I messed up the port-to-honey ratio affected the texture of the sauce.
My version of the cake did not look as good as the photo in the cookbook because the small figs I was using did not have vibrantly colored skins. Nonetheless, I was surprised at how much I liked this cake. The cake itself was rustic, with an interesting texture from the cornmeal and a distinct brightness from the lemon. Because the flavor of the cake was so straightforward, the delicate sweet flavor of the figs really came through. Even though the port sauce was quite thick and very sweet (the sweetness level obviously higher than it should have been due to my use of too much honey), it was a wonderful accompaniment to the cake. It tasted more or less like grape honey and it was delicious -- although definitely better when used in moderation, given its intense sweetness. I actually preferred this cake to the fig frangipane tart, in large part because it tasted more "figgy."
If I had used the proper amount of honey in the poaching liquid/sauce, I'm sure that the sauce would have been fantastic. I would love to make this cake and sauce again the next time I have some figs on hand.
Recipe: "A Fig Cake For Fall" from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.
Previous Post: "The Not-So-Figgy Fig Tart," August 21, 2012.
I was a bit distracted when I made this cake (I was making two of these cakes at the same time I was making two fig frangipane tarts, so the cake didn't have my full attention), and I accidentally screwed up the poaching liquid. You are supposed to poach halved figs in a mixture of 3/4 cup ruby port, 1/2 cup honey, and a few lemon slices. I accidentally doubled the honey, so my liquid consisted of more honey than port. I poached the figs until they were soft, removed them from the pot, and then cooked the liquid until slightly thickened.
The cake batter is straightforward. You rub together sugar and lemon zest until the sugar is moist and aromatic, beat in room temperature butter, add eggs, honey, and vanilla, and incorporate the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt). You pour the batter into a 9-inch pan (you are supposed to use a springform pan; I used a cheesecake pan with a removable bottom), scatter the poached figs on top, and bake.
.JPG)
My version of the cake did not look as good as the photo in the cookbook because the small figs I was using did not have vibrantly colored skins. Nonetheless, I was surprised at how much I liked this cake. The cake itself was rustic, with an interesting texture from the cornmeal and a distinct brightness from the lemon. Because the flavor of the cake was so straightforward, the delicate sweet flavor of the figs really came through. Even though the port sauce was quite thick and very sweet (the sweetness level obviously higher than it should have been due to my use of too much honey), it was a wonderful accompaniment to the cake. It tasted more or less like grape honey and it was delicious -- although definitely better when used in moderation, given its intense sweetness. I actually preferred this cake to the fig frangipane tart, in large part because it tasted more "figgy."
If I had used the proper amount of honey in the poaching liquid/sauce, I'm sure that the sauce would have been fantastic. I would love to make this cake and sauce again the next time I have some figs on hand.
Recipe: "A Fig Cake For Fall" from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.
Previous Post: "The Not-So-Figgy Fig Tart," August 21, 2012.
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