Figs.
There is something about the fig that is just sultry. The short season makes them sought out, coveted and lusted after in the market. The tease of a handful of precious, perfect figs hidden between the everyday market items waiting for your eyes to spot them is exciting when they start coming into season. And when you splurge a little for them, bring them home, and then devour them its a short, passionate affair that burns out as quick as the spark drew fire.The figs won’t be there next week seducing you. There will be a wistful glance at the section stocked high with abundant important produce where the figs sat, luring you, only a few short days before. But the figs will be gone.
Fruit, sexy? That’s taboo. And yet, I can’t think of a better expatiation of our passion towards figs and the pure tantalizing pull they have over us.
Why are figs only in the market for a few weeks?
With only a few figs carefully transported back to my cabin in Maine from recent travels, I wanted to make the best use of them. Showcasing them and sharing them without deconstructing them into something else. And so, the Drunken Fig Layer Cake with Salted Honey Butter Frosting recipe came to be. I poured over cake recipes. Not wanting just a white cake, craving the light spring of a sponge cake, but the moisture of a traditional layer cake. I wanted something light like angel food cake.
A cake that danced on your tongue while classic flavors joined as you tasted the first bite.
After a while and several ideas later, I chose the base from a coconut cake, reminded of how light they are. I built from the idea of adding bourbon to keep it less sweet and more mature for the palate. I decided to brush a mix of honey and bourbon over the cooling cakes to add moisture after testing recipes.
Using a fig jam for the filling meant I wouldn’t overwhelm the bon vivant with sugary-sweet cheap promises, but make them hunt out and enjoy the classic fig flavors.
The salted honey butter frosting would be light and scarcely applied around the edges, allowing the layers and filling to peek through, just enough. The salt is meant to balance the honey and bring this full circle for the sense, slowing things down. Making each bite last as the flavors build.
The sliced figs atop, drizzled with high-quality local honey, sprinkled with salt are meant to be plucked off and savored one by one.
Whether you indulge or not is entirely up to you.
If you’ve tried my Drunken Fig Layer Cake recipe or any other recipe on passthesushi.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow along for more good eats and travel tips on Instagram @passthesushi & @girlcarnivore, Twitter & Facebook.
Drunken Fig Layer Cake with Salted Honey Butter Frosting
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AmericanIngredients
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg - plus 5 egg whites
- 1 cup honey - divided
- 1/2 cup bourbon - divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 12 tbsp butter - room temperature
- For the filling
- 1 16 oz jar fig jam
- For the
- 16 tbsp butter - room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup honey - divided
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- For Garnish
- room temperature honey
- Large flake sea salt
- fresh figs - sliced in half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Adjust the oven racks to the middle top and the middle bottom if your oven allows. Cut sheets of parchment to line 3 cake pans. Grease the pans, add the parchment, grease the parchment and set the pans aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg and egg whites, 3/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup bourbon, and the vanilla until combined.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Slowly add in the egg mixture on the lowest speed. Scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula again.
- Finally, in small batches, mix in the flour mixture until combined.
- Make sure everything has been combined with a few stirs with the spatula and divide evenly in the prepared cake pans.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining honey and bourbon in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low allowing the mixture to simmer and reduce a bit for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat to cool.
- Bake, with two cakes on the top rack and one on the bottom, rotating once halfway through cook time, for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake pans on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before carefully turning out.
- Poke a few small holes in the cake with a toothpick and using a pastry brush, brush a bit of the honey bourbon mixture over each cake.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before layering.
- When cooled, spread half of the fig jam evenly over one layer.
- Stack the next layer on and trim, if needed.
- Spread the remaining jam atop the second layer and top with the final layer.
- In a clean bowl in your stand mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with a bit of the honey each time. Scrape down the sides as needed through the process to ensure even mixing.
- Add the salt and whip until everything is combined, light and fluffy.
- Crumb coat your cake and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes if adding a traditional layer of frosting.
- Alternatively, crumb coat the sides of the cake and place the remainder on top, swirling and creating a divot for the sliced figs.
- Arrange the fresh figs on the cake as desired and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle a hefty pinch of large flake seas salt atop right before serving, or on each individual slice as it is cut.
- Store the Drunken Fig Layer Cake with Salted Honey Butter Frosting in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.
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My grandmother has always loved figs! Reminds me of when she’d come visit us in North Jersey with fig treats.
Don’t believe I have ever made or even tasted a fig cake in my life. That honey frosting sounds to die for over the top delicious. Sounds like I need to go find me some figs.
I remember picking figs with my mom when I was a little girl. She would always make fig preserves and they were so good. I’ve never had a drunken fig cake before and it looks amazingly delicious. I really want to make this cake!
What a fancy cake! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cake like this before. I’m intrigued by the flavors.
Wow, this is so nice. Looks very deliciously prepared and I am glad I was able to stumble upon your website. I found another recipe to try. Hopefully I can make a trial over the next weekend so I can perfect it before our Halloween party.
This sounds like a delicious dessert. I love your pictures they are outstanding. The recipe sounds amazing and I am pretty sure it would be a great recipe to make for my husband’s birthday.
This fig layer cake is simply gorgeous. Almost too pretty to eat! We are fortunate to locate figs in our specialty grocer year round, but I will say, that they taste better in the proper seasons!
This fig cake is almost too pretty to eat! We like figs as well and are able to purchase at specialty grocers year round, but I agree, they taste much better in season.
Figs are one of my favorite fruits. This cake looks divine. It would be perfect to make for my next girls night in.
That salted honey butter frosting sounds delicious. We used to have a fig tree in our backyard when I was a kid. Brings back memories
This recipe looks heavenly. I’m saving this for future parties!
Your cake looks beautiful and the frosting sounds like it’s perfect for the figs! With fig season being so short, sounds like it’s best to get them while we can.
This sounds amazing. I have always loved fresh, sweet figs. I don’t think I have ever made a fig cake though.
Wow, those photos are so dramatic! I bet you loved seeing how they turned out. I love figs, this would be on my plate for sure!
That is delicious and beautiful fig layer cake, I have one fig plant which is so small. I need to buy some figs from grocery store to make this yummy.
I love any and everything fig and this cake looks amazing! I bet it tastes amazing as well…a friend of mine has a fig tree. Maybe I can convince her to give me some figs when they are ripe and I can make this cake! YUM!
This looks crazy delicious! I love fresh figs and was so happy to find them last week at my market.
That frosting sounds amazing! This cake is like nothing I have never seen before; amazing!
These photos are stunning. That cake looks incredible. I will have to see if my husband will help me make something like this. yum.
I have never tried this recipe and also don’t know about fig. But the way you have presented this recipe is really nice and also looks so yummy and delicious.
What size cake pans are needed? I can’t seem to locate it in the instructions.
Can this be stored at room temperature for 24 hours?
Hi VV, I wouldn’t store the cake at room temp, but rather in a fridge. Pull from the fridge about an hour and half before serving to let come to room temperature. Thanks!
PS! Id love to see pics!
What size cake pans did you use?
Hey Melissa, I used standard cake pans – 8 or 9″