Honey Fig Cake With Whipped Cream Cheese and Rosemary Candied Pecans
This honey fig cake with whipped cream cheese is aesthetic and a perfect show-stopper dessert at your next dinner party. It is gorgeous, has a moist crumb and has a beautiful honey fig layer decorated with whipped cream cheese and pieces of sugary rosemary pecans. All the elements on this cake come together to create a warm and inviting presentation. The figs on the bottom (or top depending on how you look at it) become nicely caramelized after over an hour in the oven and this soft and sticky layer adds another textural element to each slice. The measurements are written primarily in grams because of accuracy, but of course, if you don’t have a baking scale, you can use standard cups and spoons to measure. Check this recipe out if you want a quickly made yet sophisticated-looking dessert to share with friends and family. With Christmas around the corner, this may be just what you need to impress this holiday season.
Ingredients
Honey Fig Layer
- 6-8 figs depending on size enough to cover the base of your cake tin
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Cake
- 190 grams 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature + extra for greasing pan
- 275 grams 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 300 grams 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 60 grams 1/2 cup ground almonds (almond flour)
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Cheese
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 60 grams 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 360 grams 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- Candied Pecans
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
To Serve
- Freshly cut figs
- Rosemary sprigs
Instructions
Cake and Fig Layer
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch pan with butter. Line the bottom of your greased pan with parchment paper.
- Remove the stems from your figs and slice them. Drizzle the bottom of your parchment-lined cake pan with honey and arrange sliced figs on the bottom.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar for about 10 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, vanilla and orange zest.
- In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground almonds, salt and finely chopped rosemary and stir until well combined.
- To your butter, sugar and egg mixture, slowly add your dry ingredients and yogurt and mix until it comes together but do not overmix. You may need to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed properly.
- Spread cake batter over your fig and honey layer and smooth the top.
- Bake for 1 hour uncovered and an additional 15 minutes covered with tin foil so it does not brown too much.
- Let sit for at least 15 minutes, run a knife along the side of the cake pan to help release and carefully turn over onto a serving dish.
Whipped Cream
- Using your electric mixer, add cream cheese and sugar and beat until smooth. Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature. Slowly add your whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside and serve with cake once cake cools.
Pecans
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add butter, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, rosemary and salt and heat on medium heat until butter melts. Add your pecans and stir to coat nuts in butter, sugar and rosemary mixture.
- Once coated thoroughly, remove from heat, and let cool on parchment paper and serve with cake on top of whipped cream cheese.
To Serve
- Heap a good amount of whipped cream cheese onto cake, and sprinkle candied pecans. Decorate with fresh chopped figs and rosemary.
