Hey there,

Autumn is definitely here. The days are getting shorter and there’s a constant chill in the air. I don’t think I can deny it any more. It’s time to embrace it and everything that comes with it… And it’s not all bad: blankets, hot chocolates, layers, cosy jumpers, candles… ❤

And on that note… YOU GUYS! I’ve got the dreamy-est autumnal cake for you.

Three layers of moist spiced cake – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger – sandwiched together with homemade fig jam and mascarpone whipped cream before being drizzled with a salted honey sauce, honeycomb and fresh figs…

It’s beautiful and delicious.

So delicious in fact, that since I took the leftover cake to work, multiple people have asked me for the recipe!

❤

I kept the decoration really simple (read: I was being lazy) – so opted for a naked cake approach with the frosting, poured over the salted honey caramel and then just placed a little pile of sliced figs and pieces of honeycomb on top.

Make this soon, guys!

Enjoy,

-Kay

 

Ingredients

Fig jam

• 175g figs, stem and bottom removed, chopped into eighths (4 figs)
• 5 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 75g jam sugar

Cake

• 165g salted butter, at room temperature
• 100ml honey (I used this, which isn’t super sugary by usual honey standards, depending on the sweetness of the honey you use, you may have to adjust slightly.)
• 100g light brown muscovado sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 120ml buttermilk

Frosting

• 600ml double cream
• 125g mascarpone
• 35g icing sugar
• 1.5tbsp honey

Salted honey caramel sauce

• 45g honey
• 25g granulated sugar
• 25g light brown muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 85ml double cream
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 scant tsp sea salt

Decorations

• Honeycomb
• Figs

Instructions

Fig jam

1. Add figs and water to a medium saucepan. Place on a medium heat and cook down for 10mins, stirring regularly.
2. Add lemon juice and jam sugar, stir to combine, and cook down for a further 5 mins.
3. Once done, use a rubber spatula to scrape into a small jar then place in the fridge to cool.

Cake

1. Grease and line 3 x 7inch baking tins and preheat the oven to gas mark 4.
2. Cream together the butter, honey and muscovado sugar.
3. One by one, add the eggs, whisking well in between each addition.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and baking soda) and whisk to combine.
5. Add a third of the dry ingredient to the mixture, whisk well to combine before adding half of the buttermilk.
6. Repeat until you’ve incorporated all the ingredients.
7. Split the batter into the three tins and bake for 18-20mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Whipped cream

1. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until soft whipped.
2. Be careful not to over whip!

Salted honey caramel sauce

1. Add honey, water and sugars to a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on a medium heat until sugars completely dissolve and the mixture comes to a boil.
2. Take off the heat and add the cream, butter and salt. Watch out for splashes and whisk to combine.
3. Pour the mixture into a medium jar and pop in the fridge to cool down completely.

Assembly

1. Smear a spoonful of frosting onto the cake board before placing your first layer of cake down on it (this will stop it slipping).
2. Top this first layer with half of the fig jam, spreading evenly before topping with a layer of frosting.
3. Repeat with the remaining layers.
4. Cover the cake with frosting using an offset spatula and cake scraper to tidy as you go.
5. Pour over the honey caramel sauce over the top of the cake and gently push over the edges at even intervals to achieve the ‘drip effect.’
6. Top with fresh fig and honeycomb as desired.