Fresh fig, dark chocolate & olive oil cake
Mediterranean inspired soft cake using up unripe figs as well as older dark chocolate
Servings 1 cake
Equipment
- 1 Hand Mixer
- 1 spring cake form
Ingredients
For the figs
- 8–10 fresh figs halved
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
- drops lemon juice
For the cake
- 180 g plain flour
- 50 g whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3 eggs
- 140 g caster sugar
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 120 g Greek natural non-sugared yoghurt
- 1 zest lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g 70% dark chocolate can be more than 70%, roughly chopped
Instructions
Caramelise the figs
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat
- Add the butter, the honey and the brown sugar
- When bubbling, place the figs cut-side down. Cook for 2–3 minutes until lightly caramelised. The figs should still hold their shape.
- Turn them over for about 30 seconds, then add a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of flaky salt
- Remove from the heat immediately and allow the figs to cool completely
Make the batter
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is pale
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil, the yoghurt, the vanilla and the lemon zest
- Fold in both flours, the baking powder and the pinch of salt
- Finally fold through the chopped chocolate
Assemble and bake
- Pour the batter into a lined 22 cm springform tin
- Arrange the caramelised figs on top, cut side up, gently pressing them only slightly into the batter
- Spoon any remaining honey from the pan over the figs
- Bake at 175°C (fan 160°C) for 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs (melted chocolate is fine)