Raspberry Fig Cake
Once considered exotic fruits, figs have a unique taste and aroma and they can be easily found nowadays in many supermarkets and local food stores. They thrive in warm, Mediterranean climate which is why you’ll find them in abundance when visiting Italy, Croatia and other Mediterranean countries.
The best figs I’ve ever eaten were in Italy, straight from the fig tree. Fig trees line the roadside, and produce delicious fruit that may not be as unblemished as those in the supermarket, but are certainly the best.
While supermarket figs are tasty, they lack a little flavor. However, in this raspberry and fig cake, they are definitely the showpiece.
I like to caramelize figs a bit, then add them to the sweet, sour raspberry mousse – the mix is phenomenal.
Please find this delicious raspberry fig cake recipe below!
Raspberry Fig Cake
Ingredients
Sponge
- 4 large eggs
- 150 g butter
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 120 g sugar
- 20 g starch
- 100 g flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Raspberry mousse
- 200 g raspberries
- 50 ml water
- 200 ml yogurt
- 50 g sugar
- 5 g gelatin
- 250 g whipping cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
Caramelized fig mousse
- 100 g sugar
- 2 large figs
- 200 g yogurt
- 5 g gelatin
- 250 g whipping cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
Instructions
Sponge:
- Put the butter and chocolate in a small thick-bottomed saucepan over a low heat and aloow it to melt. Stir gently from time to time. When the mixture is smooth, turn off the heat.
- Incorporate the egg yolks into the chocolate cream, one at a time. Stir well after each one, to ensure it is well combined.
- Mix the flour with the starch and then incorporate it into the chocolate cream. Mix everything together and then add the vanilla.
- Put the egg whites and salt in a mixer bowl and mix until you get a firm foam consistency. Incorporate the egg whites into the mixture with gentle, upward movements.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356° F) and line a 25/35 cm (10 x 14 inches) baking tray with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove the tray from the oven and leave the cake to cool.
Raspberry mousse:
- Add together the raspberries, water, and sugar and cook them over low heat. Squeeze in a little lemon juice. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half, leaving a beautiful, aromatic jam. Strain the jam, pressing it with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Hydrate the gelatin in 3 tablespoons of cold water. After 5 minutes, add it to the raspberry cream. Stir in the yogurt and refrigerate until it reaches the right consistency for a mousse. It should be quite firm, but easy to handle.
- Mix the whipping cream (cold) with a tablespoon of vanilla sugar until it becomes frothy, and sticks to the whisk. Incorporate the mixture into the raspberry cream with upward movements. Pour it over the cake and refrigerate.
Fig mousse:
- Place the sugar in a pan and let it caramelize. When you get a golden/amber caramel, add in the chopped figs. Leave them over a low heat until they soften and are homogenized with the sugar. No more than 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the blender and pulse a few times to finely grind the figs, but without turning them into a paste.
- Hydrate the gelatin in 3 tablespoons of cold water. After 5 minutes add it to the figs. Stir in the yogurt and refrigerate the mixture.
- Make a firm whipped cream for this mousse. Incorporate it into the fig cream and pour it on top of the raspberry cream. Refrigerate the cake for 4-5 hours, until the mousse is firm enough to get a clean cut.
- Slice the cake with a sharp knife. Decorate with pieces of fig and serve.
Enjoy!
Notes
If you love fig-base desserts, please also check the recipes below:
Related: Fresh Figs & Orange Polenta Cake
Related: Stuffed Figs with Chicken & Tamarind Sauce
Related: Dalmatian Fresh Fig Tart by Rick Stein
Related: Foie Gras Terrine w/ Marinated Figs
