Fig Cakes with Sweet Ricotta
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 24 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 24 servings
- Calories
- 285
- Total Fat
- 13
- Saturated Fat
- 7
- Carbohydrates
- 39
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 26
- Protein
- 4
- Cholesterol
- 68
- Sodium
- 56
- Total: 1 hr 15 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
Cake:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
14 ounces (2 cups) granulated sugar
13 ounces (about 3 cups) all-purpose flour
1/4 ounce (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped from the pods
Nonstick cooking spray
Two 8-ounce containers fresh figs (about 18), cut into 1/3-inch rounds, plus additional quartered for garnish, optional
1 cup light brown sugar
Sweet Ricotta:
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch fine salt
Directions
Special equipment:
a piping bag; two 12-cup muffin tins- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the butter into a pot and cook, stirring, until it browns. Remove from the heat and let cool, but not to the point that it solidifies, about 5 minutes.
- Whip the eggs and egg yolks together with the granulated sugar until thick and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl, then fold into the whipped egg mixture. Add the butter and mix until incorporated. Add the sour cream, milk and vanilla seeds and mix until it comes together. Transfer to a piping bag.
- Spray two 12-cup muffin tins generously with cooking spray. Arrange the sliced figs in the muffin cups (overlapping is okay). Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons brown sugar on top of each. Fill the muffin cups with the cake batter about three-quarters of the way full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the edges comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the muffin cups.
- For the sweet ricotta: Meanwhile, put the ricotta in a large fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and let drain for 30 minutes. Discard the liquid. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Reserve until ready to serve.
- Serve the cakes with a dusting of confectioners' sugar and dollops of sweet ricotta. Garnish with quartered figs if using.