Fig, Blackberry & Tahini Cake

2020 does it again! I went to Central Market to get the ingredients for this cake and couldn't find tahini or figs. They always have figs, but didn't get any this week because of shipping problems.

So...I made a couple of substitutions for this Fig, Blackberry & Tahini Cake (Benjamina Ebuehi, The New Way to Cake). Doesn't that combination sound great?

Tahini is a paste that you use in making hummus. It's made of ground sesame seeds and has a very nutty flavor, without being sweet. I've substituted peanut butter for it in other recipes, but today decided to use Biscoff Cookie Butter.

What? Biscoff Cookie Butter? You bet and am I glad CM didn't have tahini. Biscoff Cookie Butter tastes just like Biscoff cookies and is ultra-creamy and delicious.

Way too delicious, I'm afraid. I kept sticking my little (giant) spoon in the jar to make sure I was really tasting that fantastic spread correctly. If you can get some, I highly, highly recommend it.

Anyway, back to the cake. The other change I made is on the decoration. Since I couldn't find figs, I used a terrific, thick fig jam. The cake is good. It gets even better with that mascarpone frosting. But add a drizzle of fig jam and it's heavenly.

The combination of wonderful dense and buttery cake with the rich mascarpone frosting, dotted with fig jam and blackberries is wonderful. I don't know how she arrived at this 'coming together' of ingredients, but it's spot on delicious.

Fig, Blackberry & Tahini cake is deceptively simple to make. I'm finding Ms. Ebuehi is a flavor wizard on her cakes and baked goods. Another winner from her cake cookbook!

Just a disclaimer - I put my changes in the recipe tips below. It may taste a little different with the tahini, but I imagine it's just as delicious. Another great Benjamina Ebuehi cake on this blog - Lemon, Ricotta, & Thyme Mini-Loaves.

Don't forget to visit the other Cake Slice Bakers' cakes for this month. They look amazing!

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Fig, Blackberry & Tahini Cake

Yield: 6 - 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Delicious tender cake with a luscious mascarpone frosting. Add a drizzle of fig jam and it's heavenly!

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Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 1 ¾ C all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ¾ C plus 2 tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 scant cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon tahini
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tablespoon milk
• For the Topping:
• ¾ C mascarpone
• ⅔ C powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon heavy cream
• For Decorating:
• 4-6 figs, quartered (or a small jar of fig jam)
• handful of blackberries
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease bottom and sides of a 9" round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Make the cake: sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a a small bowl.
3. In a stand mixer, whisk together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and creamy (4-5 minutes). Add the tahini and beat for 1 minute until completely combined.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well between each, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer on very low speed and add half the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix for a few seconds, then add the milk and mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then add the remaining flour mixture - still on low. Mix for 15-20 seconds, then finish off by stirring gently with a spatula for a few seconds to make sure there's no flour mixture at the bottom.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, turning the pan once during baking. Cake should be a deep golden brown on top and toothpick should come out dry with a few crumbs on it. Leave the cake to cool completely in the pan.
6. Make the topping: Add the mascarpone and powdered sugar to a medium bowl and mix by hand with a spoon or spatula until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and heavy cream to loosen it up to the consistency you desire. Spread evenly on the top of the cake.
7. To decorate: arrange the figs and blackberries around the cake and sprinkle with the sesame seeds if desired. ***Or - my suggestion - drizzle fig jam over the cake and it's the best!

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

My changes:

Used Biscoff Butter instead of tahini (use any "butter" you'd like if you can't find tahini).

Used heavy cream in the cake instead of milk because, well, I screwed up.

Couldn't find figs, so used fig jam for the decoration.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 551Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 354mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 3gSugar: 40gProtein: 9g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

 

 

It is a new year and a new book - The New Way To Cake - and our choices for July 2020 were ~

 

Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake

• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Amandie Bakes
• Sweet Sensations
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Making Miracles

Pineapple & Saffron Syrup Cakes

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Fig, Blackberry & Tahini Cake

• Camille Cooks
• My Recipe Reviews