This festive cake of chocolate, hazelnuts and fresh figs celebrates the fig in all its glory!
The cake is decorated with fresh figs that get a nice kick from the balsamic vinegar. In between the cake layers, I put fig jam. This has a full, rich flavour from the addition of the red port and a fresh note from the balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is a true flavour friend of the fig, as it pleasantly enhances its flavour. We use white Balsamic vinegar here to keep the colour of the figs intact.
Did you know that figs are also very healthy? Among other things, they contain a lot of dietary fibre and minerals. Together with cocoa and hazelnuts, this cake is not only very tasty but also healthy (provided you don’t eat too much of it, of course 😉 )
The cream cheese filling is flavoured with a highly aromatic oil made from the leaves of the fig tree. The flavour of the leaf is very special. It is best described as green, nutty and a hint of coconut. How strong you want to add this flavour is very personal. I give a guideline in this recipe, but mainly taste for yourself how much you want to add to the cream cheese. Because the period that you can pick fresh fig leaves is limited, or because you may not have a fig tree in your garden, I’ve provided you the option to make a fresh mint oil instead of fig leaf oil. Different flavour, but also very tasty.
The base for this festive chocolate and hazelnut cake is a firm yet light chocolate-hazelnut cake. Chocolate and hazelnuts are already best friends. Add coffee and it’s all party time. The instant coffee in the batter also enhances the chocolaty flavour. Guaranteed to be a showstopper this beauty!
Chocolate-hazelnut cake with fresh figs and fig cream
Equipment
- 1 springform pan ⌀ 21 cm
- 1 sheet of baking paper
- blender
- cheesecloth or clean tea towel
- sterilised sealable bottle
- Hand blender
Ingredients
For the cake batter
- 2 el sunflower oil for greasing
- 200 g flour
- 65 g hazelnut flour
- 2 el espresso instant coffee
- 225 g sugar
- 55 g cocoa powder
- 1,5 tl baking soda
- 1,5 tl baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 300 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 2 tl vinegar
For the fig jam
- 300 g fresh figs
- 75 g sugar
- 90 ml red port wine
- 3 el white balsamic vinegar
For the fig leaf or mint oil
- 250 ml grape seed oil
- 10 fig leaves or the leaves of 1 small bunch of mint
For the cake filling
- 3 el fig leaf or mint oil
- 4 el powdered sugar
- 1 organic orange its zest
- 450 g vegan cream cheese we used Philadelphia's vegan cream cheese
Putting together and serve
- 6 fresh figs
- 1 el white balsamic vinegar
- 60 g roasted hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Line the bottom of the springform pan with baking paper and brush the rim with some sunflower oil.2 el sunflower oil
- Place the flour, hazelnut flour, instant coffee, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well with a whisk.200 g flour, 65 g hazelnut flour, 2 el espresso instant coffee, 225 g sugar, 55 g cocoa powder, 1,5 tl baking soda, 1,5 tl baking powder, Pinch of salt
- Add the almond milk, sunflower oil and vinegar and stir with a whisk to make a smooth batter. Pour into the springform pan and bake for about 30-40 min until cooked in the oven. The cake base is done when a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.300 ml unsweetened almond milk, 100 ml sunflower oil, 2 tl vinegar
- Meanwhile, for the fig jam, remove the stalks from the figs and cut them into pieces. Bring to the boil in a pan together with the sugar, port and balsamic vinegar. Simmer gently for about 30 min until the figs are soft and the jam has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and puree with a hand blender to a smooth jam. Leave to cool.300 g fresh figs, 75 g sugar, 90 ml red port wine, 3 el white balsamic vinegar
- Meanwhile, make the fig leaf (or mint) oil. Remove the hard stems from the fig leaves or the bunch of mint and blanch the leaves or petals by immersing them in plenty of boiling water for 10 seconds, then immediately submerging them in ready ice-cold water. Pat the leaves/leaves dry. For fig leaf oil, cut the leaves into coarse pieces. Put the cut fig leaves or mint leaves in the bowl of a blender or use a hand blender and grind for 5 minutes until it is a smooth oil and the leaves are completely mixed with the oil.250 ml grape seed oil, 10 fig leaves
- Hang a sieve over a bowl and line it with a cheesecloth or clean tea towel. Pour in the oil mixture and leave to stand until all the oil has drained into the bowl. Do not push the remaining fig leaf too much through the sieve, as this will make the oil cloudy. For the mint oil, you can omit the strainer and use the oil as is.
- Schenk de opgevangen vijgenblad- of muntolie in een gesteriliseerd flesje en bewaar in de koelkast.
- For the filling, whisk the fig leaf or mint oil, icing sugar and orange zest into the plant-based cream cheese. Add more fig leaf or mint oil to taste if necessary.3 el fig leaf or mint oil, 4 el powdered sugar, 1 organic orange, 450 g vegan cream cheese
- Cut the cake in half crosswise. Coarsely chop the hazelnuts. Spread one cake layer successively with some of the fig jam, half of the fig cream and sprinkle with half of the hazelnuts. Place the other cake layer on top and brush again with some fig jam and the rest of the fig cream. Let the filling set in the fridge for about 30 min.60 g roasted hazelnuts
- Remove the tart from the fridge and toss the fig segments with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Top the tart with the figs. Sprinkle with the rest of the hazelnuts and serve.6 fresh figs, 1 el white balsamic vinegar
