Sweet and Savory Honey Fig Goat Cheese Cake
Tender honey cake layers with goat cheese filling, fig jam and whipped mascarpone frosting.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (175 g) honey
- 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla
For the goat cheese filling
- 4 ounces plain goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons (65.62 g) honey
- 1 cup (231 g) whipping cream
For the fig jam
- 4 cups (500 g) chopped fresh figs
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (87.5 g) honey
- 1/4 cup (59.15 g) water
- 1/4 cup (60.5 g) fresh lemon juice
For the whipped lemon marscapone frosting
- 1 cup (231 g) heavy whipping cream I like Darry Gold
- 8 oz. mascarpone
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, honey and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add in the dry and wet ingredients, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Evenly divide the batter between the three cake pans (about 16 to 17 ounces in each 8-inch pan or 12 ounces in each 6-inch).
- Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes nearly clean
- Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
For the goat cheese filling
- In the bowl of stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese and honey and mix well.
- Fold in the whipped cream. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
For the fig jam
- In a medium size saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to boil.
- Continue to simmer the mixture on low for 30 to 60 minutes until thick.
- Let cool completely
- In a food processor or blender, process the jam until it's nearly smooth. Pour into mason jars and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Best to make a day or two ahead of time.
For the whipped mascarpone frosting
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
- In the same bowl for the electric mixer, combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar and lemon extract. Mix on medium speed until incorporated.
- Gradually fold in the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture.
- Use right away.
Assembly
- On a cake board, spread a small dollop of frosting to hold the cake in place. Place your first cake layer on the board.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of the goat cheese filling on the cake layer. Pipe a rim of mascarpone frosting around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with 1/2 cup fig jam.
- Place the second cake layer on top and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the filling. Freeze the cake, with no crumb coat, for about 20 minutes.
- The mascarpone frosting won't freeze like normal buttercream, so I don't typically do a crumb coat and will just frost the cake roughly just one time.
- Chill in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve.