Figgy Pecan Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Simmer figs in water in a heavy medium saucepan, covered, until figs are tender and most of liquid is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Purée in a food processor with bourbon and vanilla. Cool to warm.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour bundt pan, knocking out excess flour.
• While oven preheats, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Lightly toast pecans in a shallow baking pan in oven, 8 to 10 minutes, then cool and coarsely chop. Leave oven on.
• Beat together brown sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in fig mixture. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated, then fold in pecans.
• Pour batter into bundt pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, then invert onto a plate.
• Make icing:
• Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl, then whisk in remaining icing ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 22cm round, springform cake tin with a knob of the butter and line the base with baking parchment. Put the remaining butter in a pan with the muscovado sugar and both syrups. Stir over a medium heat until melted together. Leave to cool a little.
• Pour the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the vanilla, eggs and milk. Fold in the nuts, the cinnamon, flour, bicarb and salt. Tip into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 mins, or until firm to the touch. Leave to cool for 10 mins in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the icing, beat together the butter, sugar and maple syrup until light and fluffy, then quickly beat in the soft cheese. Spoon and swirl the icing onto the cooled cake, then top with the chopped pecans, a pinch of cinnamon and an extra drizzle of maple syrup, if you like.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Mix butter, milk, coconut milk, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly mix into the milk mixture. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Divide batter between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake cakes in the preheated oven until tops are golden yellow and spring back when lightly pressed, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Prepare frosting while cakes are baking. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter, egg yolks, and flour in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken. Add vanilla and stir for 1 minute. Pour in pecans; cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
• Remove frosting from heat and let cool. Remove cakes from the oven and set aside to cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Place 1 cooled cake layer on a serving plate. Cover with some of the cooled frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.

Steps:

• For Filling:
• Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until figs are very tender, about 35 minutes. Uncover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and filling is thick, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer filling to processor. Using about 5 on/off turns, process just until mixture holds together. Transfer to small bowl; cool filling. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 13 3/4x4-inch rectangular tart pan with removable bottom onto waxed paper. Trace outline of pan bottom on paper; set paper aside. Line pan with heavy-duty foil. Grease foil; dust with matzo cake meal. Combine 2 cups pecans, sugar, ginger and salt in processor; finely grind nuts. Add egg and process until moist clumps form. Using moistened fingertips, press 1 cup dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan (crust will be thin). Bake crust until puffed and dry looking, about 14 minutes. Transfer pan to rack; press bottom of crust lightly to flatten. Cool crust completely. Maintain over temperature.
• Stir 4 ounces chocolate in top double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Spread over bottom of crust. Spoon 1 3/4 cups filling over chocolate (reserve remaining filling for another use).
• Press remaining dough over traced rectangle on waxed paper, filling outline completely. Using paper as aid, turn dough rectangle over onto tart, aligning carefully; peel off paper. Pinch edge of crust and top dough together to seal.
• Bake tart until top is golden and dry looking, about 28 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack. (Can be prepared ahead. Wrap in foil and store 1 day at room temperature or refrigerate up to 5 days.) Push up pan bottom to release tart. Peel off foil from bottom.
• If desired, dip spoon into melted chocolate and drizzle in zigzag pattern over tart; then dip pecan halves halfway into melted chocolate and arrange decoratively around edge. Chill until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Serve tart cold or at room temperature.