The sweet, earthy pop of late summer figs comes alive in this fig honey walnut cake that is sweetened with the perfect notes of Brine’s Fine Honeys’ Cranberry Honey. The result is a super moist, rich, and nutty breakfast cake that has figgy flavor throughout, along with a topping of walnuts and honey icing.
Fig Honey Walnut Cake
Figs are the precious jewels of late summer which flash in front of our eyes briefly to let us know fall is coming. Many people don’t know how best to incorporate figs into an everyday cake, but it is easier than one might think.
By chopping up the figs and dredging them in flour, so they don’t all float to the bottom of the cake, their earthy, unique flavor is distributed throughout the cake. The cake itself is a simple recipe, the secret ingredient of which is finely chopped walnuts. The walnuts pair gorgeously with the fig and provide a rich texture to the cake itself, which makes for a tasty breakfast or any time of day cake.
Brine’s Cranberry Honey
The key which jettisons this fig walnut cake into the flavor stratosphere is substituting Brine’s Cranberry Honey for granulated sugar. The honey adds a lush, extra-moist texture to the cake, which the walnuts are able to support, and the cranberry flavor of the honey really lifts the fig into another dimension.
Brine’s Cranberry Honey has stewed fruit flavor notes, which really complement the intense, earthiness of the figs. The fruity, floral aroma sails along with the unmistakable taste of the figs. The end result is a representation of all the late summer fruit and early fall harvest flavors in one magical moment. Brine’s Cranberry Honey also makes an appearance in the decadent honey icing that is drizzled over the chopped walnuts on top of the cake.
The texture of the figs, walnut, and honey in the cake, along with the sliced figs baked on top, the roughly chopped walnuts, and a drizzle of creamy honey icing all serve to create a sumptuous, yet easygoing fig honey walnut cake to enjoy as the days begin to grow shorter.
Fig Honey Walnut Cake
Ingredients
Fig Walnut Honey Cake
- ¾ cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup Brine’s Cranberry Honey
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon rind
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup walnuts (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped figs (plus 5-6 sliced figs for top of cake)
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons additional flour
Honey Icing
- 1 tablespoon Brine’s Cranberry Honey
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- ⅔ cup confectioners sugar
- Coarsely chopped walnuts to be used separately for decorating the cake
Instructions
For The Fig Honey Walnut Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8-inch round baking tin or springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Chop the figs with the skin on (a food processor works great) and set them aside in a bowl. Drizzle Grand Marnier over the fruit, if using.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and finely chopped walnuts together. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon rind and vanilla extract
- Slowly add in the flour mixture until incorporated.
- Toss the chopped figs with an additional 1 – 2 tablespoons flour to make sure they don’t sink to the bottom of the pan. Gently fold the figs into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth out evenly using an offset spatula. Add some sliced figs on top of the cake in whatever arrangement is preferred.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, making sure that the toothpick test in the center of the cake comes out clean. It may take up to an hour for the center to be ready.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Slowly remove the cake from the pan and move to a wire rack to cool completely.
For The Honey Icing
- In a bowl, whisk the Brine’s Cranberry Honey and whole milk into the confectioner’s sugar until creamy and thick.
- Once the cake is cool, add the coarsely chopped walnuts to the top and drizzle with the honey icing to finish.