edible gifts. Christmas fig and walnut cake
Another variation of Christmas cake to give as a gift. The taste of Christmas makes it very popular during the festive season. The fact that you have baked it yourself makes it even more special. Something to treat your loved ones with, to take to work to share with colleagues, something to wrap up and give as a gift.
Ingredients
3 g dried bitter orange (pomerance) zest
120 g butter
100 g honey
2 tbsp vanilla extract
160 g sour cream or crème fraiche
3 large eggs
zest of 1 organic orange, finely grated
220 g wheat cake flour
60 g buckwheat flour
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
50 g Demerara sugar
60 g soft dried cranberries
80 g soft dried figs, cut into pieces
100 g walnuts, crushed into pieces
for the topping:
200 g cream cheese
100 g thick sour cream or Greek yoghurt
vanilla powder
3 tbsp Demerara sugar
prepare
Preheat the oven to 190°. Pour boiling water over the bitter orange zest. Let it soak for 10 minutes.
Line a 20-22 cm baking pan with baking paper. Melt the butter with honey and let cool. Add extract, sour cream, zest and eggs. Mix with hand balloon whisk just enough to incorporate.
In a bowl, mix flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, soda and sugar. Add the flour into the liquid mixture and mix until it is half way incorporated. Add cranberries, figs, bitter orange zest (squeezed) and walnuts and mix until fully incorporated, but do not over mix.
Fill the pan, spread the batter evenly, and bake in the middle of the oven for 40-50 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. When done, remove and cool 30 minutes in the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Before giving it as a gift, decorate with cream. In a bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and salt. Mix with a mixer on low speed for 30 seconds just until creamy. Spread on the cake (if it has risen too much, cut the top off to make it even). Decorate as you wish and the gift is ready.
Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Camera: Sony Alpha 7s
Plates, table and Christmas decorations: HM Home
Place: Sukņu stacija, Riga, Maskavas 196
