When this image of Domestic Sluttery’s delicious looking Hazelnut fig frangipane cake appeared on Facebook, I immediately pinned it to our Cake! Pinterest board.
Justin loves frangipane and I’ve never used it in a recipe before. The idea of frangipane, figs and runny honey… in a cake… IRRESISTABLE!
We happened to already have all the ingredients in the store cupboard. We used soft dried figs instead of fresh or tinned as the original recipe calls for – they worked a treat!
Hazelnut and fig frangipane cake
Ingredients
- for the cake
- 100 g hazelnuts
- 140 g butter softened
- 140 g golden caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 60 g ground almonds
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ nutmeg finely grated
- 60 g self raising flour
- 6 soft dried figs
- for the syrup
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp hot water
- Icing sugar and a few rough chopped hazelnuts to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160ºC /325ºF/Gas mark 3
- Put the hazelnuts in a dry, heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over a medium heat to toast for around 5 minutes, shaking every so often to make sure they don't burn
- Tip out onto a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove the skins
- Using a mini food processor or similar, finely grind the hazelnuts and set aside
- Cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy
- In a small measuring jug, gently whisk the eggs before adding them to the butter & sugar in three stages, mixing after each addition
- Add the ground hazelnuts, almonds, vanilla and grated nutmeg
- Gently fold in the flour until just combined
- Spoon the mixture into the greased cake tin and level out with a spatula
- With a pair of scissors, remove the hard stalk from the figs and press each gently into the mixture
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with a little caster sugar
- Bake for 40 minutes until a skewer inserted comes away clean
- Cool in the tin on a wire rack for a few minutes
- Dilute the honey with the teaspoon of hot water
- Poke a few holes in the cake whilst it's still warm and spoon over the syrup evenly over the top
- Remove from the tin, dust with icing sugar and a few chopped, toasted hazelnuts and serve warm with mascarpone or Greek yoghurt and a nice cup of tea!
