This festive chocolate figspiced cake is a more sophisticated version of your everyday chocolate cake.This cake is rich, dense, and loaded with chocolate with a spicy peppery hintof coffee. Perfect for occasions and festive seasons
Servings 12pieces
Prep Time 15 minutesmins
Cook Time 50 minutesmins
resting time 1 hourhr
Ingredients
For the Cake:
100g.dried figschopped
1cuphot brewed coffeeor hot water
200g.buttersoftened
200g.granulated sugar
2eggs
2tspvanilla extract
150g.milk
75g.yogurt
1tsporange zest
250g.all-purpose flour
75g.unsweetened cocoa powder
1½tspground cinnamon
1tspcardamom powder
1tspground allspice or sweet pepper
¼tspground cloves
1 ½tspbaking soda
½tspbaking powder
40g.chopped dried apricot
1tbspcocoa powder for dusting figs with and extra for dusting pan with
For the chocolate glaze
200g.semisweet chocolate chips
¾cupheavy cream
¼tspvanilla extract
1tspespresso powder of instant coffee powderoptional
1 ½tbsporange blossom water
Instructions
for the cake
Prepare pan: Heat oven to 180°C. Spray or grease a heavy non-stick 10-12 cup fluted tube/bundt pan with cooking spray or butter. Dust lightly with cocoa powder
Soak Figs: In medium bowl, stir chopped figs and warm coffee; set aside.
Cream butter & sugar: In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Beat in Eggs & aromatics: Beat in eggs, vanilla. mix the milk and yogurt together and Slowly add to the egg mixture while mixing and then add the orange zest (do not worry if the mixture gets a little curdled)
Add Dry Ingredients: Beat in 1¾ cups flour, cocoa, spices, baking soda, and baking powder on low speed until mixed.
Drain Figs & add coffee to batter: Remove figs from and set aside, reserving coffee. Slowly mix in reserved coffee only batter. Pour batter into pan.
Add fruit to batter: Pat figs dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them and the apricot with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and toss to coat. Sprinkle the figs and the apricot over batter in pan. Pull knife or skewer through batter to distribute fruit
Bake: Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto plate or rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
for the glaze
In a small sauce pan over low heat melt the chocolate chips and whisk together with the cream, coffee and vanilla extract.
Once it’s smooth take off the heat and stir in the orange blossom.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before pouring it over the cake so that it has a thicker consistency and is easier to pour.
Generously drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cut into pieces and serve.
Video
Notes
Make-Ahead and storing: this cake will stay fresh in a cake stand or any container with a lid for up to 5 days but I found that keeping it for only 3 days on the countertop is the best time frame for the flavor and texture of the cake before it starts to change. But you can also store the cake in a closed container in the fridge after it cools down completely and store your sauce separately in this case. it can stay good up to 5-6 days. When you want to serve from the fridge, let your cake sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. You can also prepare this cake in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. And whenever you want to serve this cake, just let it thaw in the fridge overnight then bring it to room temperature 30 minutes before drizzling the sauce and serving.
for the chocolate sauce: I don’t recommend freezing the chocolate sauce. But you can store it in the fridge for 2 days and warm it up when you want to drizzle it on low heat. You might need to add 1 or 2 tbsp of milk to loosen d it up to drizzling consistency. make sure you wait until the cake is cooed and the sauce is not too warm before drizzling it to the cake.
substitutions: you can substitute the dry figs with any dry fruits to your liking and experiment with the taste. you can skip the chocolate sauce the cake is moist and delicious even without the sauce.
Bundt cake pan tips: make sure you check my article above the recipe for the tips and tricks on how to bake in a Bundt cake without any tearing accidents
other baking pan options: you can either bake it in a 10 or 12-cup Bundt cake pan like I did OR you can make it a layer cake instead. The recipe will make two 20 cm round layers. And you can prepare it as cupcakes but make sure to reduce the baking time. For cupcakes, 15 to 20 min baking is enough.