Honey Fig Almond Cake Food

HONEY ROASTED FIG & ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a shallow loose-bottomed 25cm flan tin. Make sure the pastry comes above the rim - it may shrink in baking and the filling could spill. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways and sit them cut side up on a roasting tray. Mix the orange juice and honey in a bowl, pour over the figs and roast for 10-12 minutes until just soft. Drain off any juice into a saucepan and reserve.
• Prick the base of the chilled pastry case all over with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to fan 130C/conventional 150C/ gas 2. Leave the pastry case to cool slightly before filling.
• Cream butter and sugar in a food processor or with an electric beater until smooth and pale. Tip in the ground almonds and zest and whizz briefly to combine. Add egg yolks and 1 tbsp of the reserved fig juice and whizz again until smooth. Spread evenly over the pastry case.
• Gently press the figs cut side up into the almond mixture. Bake for 11⁄4 hours or until it's golden all over (don't worry if the centre still seems soft - a little gooeyness is good). Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove sides and transfer on its base to a wire rack to cool.
• Before serving, take the tart off its base and transfer to a flat platter or board. If you have juice left from roasting the figs, bring it to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until sticky and syrupy. Brush this over the figs and serve as soon as possible, while the syrup is still glossy on the figs (it will start to seep through into the filling if you leave it too long).

HONEY FIG ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 6 inch springform pan, and line bottom with parchment paper.
• Beat sugar butter together with a stand or hand mixer, until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time. Then pour in the flours and blend well.
• Pour bater in prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until still moist, but golden and baked through.
• Remove from oven and let cool. Open springform, and put on cake stand. Top with figs, and drizzle with a 1/4 cup of raw honey.

HONEY AND FIG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, honey and apple sauce.
• Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices.
• Stir in flour mix to egg mix.
• Fold in figs and nuts (if using).
• Pour batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Let cool completely before slicing.

FIG AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan or pie pan; set aside.
• Put almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor and grind to a coarse powder.
• Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; pulse to combine.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, honey and almond extract.
• Add almond mixture and beat for a minute until batter is just mixed. Pour batter into pan.
• Remove stem from each fig and cut in half. Arrange fig halves cut-side up over the batter.
• Sprinkle figs with 2 tbl.sugar and bake for 30 minutes, until golden outside and dry at center when probed with a cake tester. Cool before serving.

FIG & HONEY CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin first with a double layer of brown paper, then with a double layer of baking parchment. In a large bowl, mix the fruit, almonds, peel, figs and cherries. Turn well and add the flour, spices and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, then add the vanilla extract, honey and treacle. Still beating, incorporate the eggs, then stir in the fruit and flour mixture. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk and stir in thoroughly. Add the brandy by the spoonful, until you have a soft dropping consistency.
• Turn the batter into the cake tin and make a dip in the middle using the back of a spoon. Bake for 3½ hrs, then insert a skewer - if it comes out clean, it's ready. If there is any cake mix on the skewer, give it 10 mins more and test again. When it's done, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin. The next day, remove from the tin, wrap in fresh greaseproof paper, then put it into an airtight tin or wrap tightly in foil. The usual thing is to keep the cake for at least a month before icing it, and to unwrap and sprinkle it occasionally with more brandy.