Fresh Fig Coconut Cake
With our bountiful harvest of figs this summer, I decided to put my creativity to work and came up with this luscious moist fig cake. I was delightfully surprised with the results.
Recipe Prep: 5 hours Serves 10 - 12
Batter:
1 cup organic butter
4 pastured or organic eggs
1 tsp. organic lemon extract OR 2 tbsp. organic lemon juice
2 tsp. organic almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. organic ginger powder
1 1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt
3 organic limes - *Zest is for the batter -
the juice from 2 limes is for the coconut sauce*
1 1/2 cups raw honey
1 cup organic sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 cups organic flour - chemical free
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder - aluminum free (Rumford)
1 cup organic coconut - shredded (no sweetener)
2 1/2 - 3 cups organic fresh figs - chopped
Garnish - Handful of organic fresh figs and about 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
2 - 8 inch stainless steel round cake pans - buttered & floured
Tips: You can add a piece of cut out parchment paper to
the bottoms and butter & flour over to insure no sticking will
occur.
For a little extra sweet addition, if you happen to have some streusel left
over from a previous recipe, you can actually coat the pans with it instead
of flour over the butter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Coconut custard sauce:
1 can organic coconut milk - 13.5 oz.
2 pastured or organic eggs
1/3 cup organic coconut sugar
2 tbsp. organic cornstarch
Organic lime juice from 2 limes
Glaze:
1/2 cup organic butter
1 cup organic coconut sugar
3 tbsp. organic white wine vinegar
In a mixing bowl, add the butter, both extracts, ginger, salt
and lime zest and blend well. Add the eggs and blend again.
Then add in the honey, sour cream, and water and mix.
Finally add in the flour, leavenings, and coconut and incorporate
well.
Using a large spoon, stir in the fresh figs - you don't want them
mashed up.
Divide into pans and bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until toothpick comes
out clean. Remove and cool for about 2 minutes and then transfer
to cooling racks.
Tip: I placed mine in the freezer for about 30 minutes to help
cool them down faster.
Custard sauce:
Place the coconut milk, lime juice, cornstarch, and coconut sugar in
a small pan, whisking well, as it heats until there's a little steam,
but do not boil.
Place the eggs into a bowl and whisk well.
Temper (drizzle) about 3 ladle spoon fulls of sauce into the egg
mixture, gradually, as you whisk briskly.
Note: This brings the egg temperature up gradually, to the same as the
sauce, so the eggs will not curdle.
Then transfer the egg mixture back into the pan and mix all together well
and cook for another minute. Sit aside to cool.
Tip: I again, placed mine into the freezer to cool faster.
Glaze:
Place the butter and coconut sugar into a small pan and heat
up, while whisking well. It will pull together and become
a thick caramel sauce. Add in the vinegar and mix.
Sit aside to cool.
When all is cool enough, assemble the cake. Place 1 cake layer,
bottom side up, on cake plate. Using an off set spatula cover the
cake with some of the custard sauce. Top with the second cake
layer, bottom side up, apply the custard sauce to the top and down
the sides, covering all.
Then from the bottom, place the off set spatula at an "V" angle facing
up and add some coconut and carefully, lightly, bring the spat toward
the top, as it presses the coconut against the custard.
Do this all the way around the cake. Apply some coconut around the
rim on the top of the cake.
Place the slice figs on top of this over lapping some, all the way around
the circle. Place a few in the center.
Drizzle the glaze over the top and along the rim to go down the sides of
the cake over the coconut.
When serving, add a little extra drizzle of glaze to each piece after plating. Enjoy!
Note: This is best to be served shortly after decorating.
The cake will hold up for 2 days in the refrigerator, but it will lose some
of it's soft, moist texture that room temperature provides.
