spiced fig hazelnut cake

a moist hazelnut cake filled with brewed espresso, chai spice and fresh figs. this sweet and spiced cake is topped with a honey cream cheese frosting, fresh figs, honey and hazelnuts. if early autumn was a dessert, it would be this cake!

4.72 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 45

Cooling Time 15

Total Time 1 25

Course Celebrations, Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

9X3" (23x8 cm) cake pan (see notes for other pans)
parchment paper
stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand mixer with beaters
microwave safe container for preparing brewed espresso

Ingredients

spiced fig hazelnut cake

⅓ c (79ml) brewed espresso or strong coffee
1 ⅔ c (200g) all purpose flour
½ c (56g) hazelnut flour see notes
2-3 tsp chai spice blend see notes
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ c (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ c (59ml) canola oil or other neutral baking oil
1 c (200g) light brown sugar
¼ c (50g) granulated sugar
3 (159-171g) large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
⅓ c (79ml) milk, room temperature
1 c (120g) chopped fresh figs + 2 teaspoon flour

honey cream cheese frosting

4 tbsp (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. (113g) cream cheese, room temperature
2-3 tbsp (30-45ml) honey
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
1 ½ c (180g) powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) milk, as needed
honey, fresh figs and hazelnuts for topping

Instructions

spiced fig hazelnut cake

Brew espresso or very strong coffee according to the package directions. Cool to room temperature before using in the cake.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (177C).
Lightly grease and line the bottom of a 9"X3" (23x8 cm) round cake pan with parchment. Set aside.
Whisk the flours, baking powder, chai spice and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric mixer with beaters, beat together the oil and butter together until smooth and well combined.
With the mixer on low, slowly stream in both sugars into the oil/butter mixture untill all the sugar is added. Increase the speed to mediumm, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla extract, beating each one for about 20 seconds on medium speed before adding the next.
Stir in the dry ingredients, brewed espresso and milk to the wet, alternating in this order: dry, espresso, dry, milk, dry. Leave a few flour or milk streaks before adding the next .
Fold in the flour coated chopped figs into the cake batter.
Pour batter into the prepared pan or pans. Smooth the top of the batter.
**Baking times listed are for a 9X3" round cake pan. For other baking time ranges, see notes.
Bake at 350 F (177C) for 45-60 minutes. Around 35-40 minutes, do the first check of the cake. The top should be golden, with set edges pulling slightly away from the cake pan. The center of the cake should spring back with lightly pressed down and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick comes out wet or "gummy," check every 5-10 until done.
If the top is browning too much, place a tent foil over the top for the remainder of the time. Bake an additional 5 minutes before checking for doneness again.
Remove the fig hazelnut cake from the oven to cool in the pan for 20-25 minutes. Gently remove the cake from the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together room temperature butter, room temperature cream cheese, honey, vanilla and salt until creamy and well combined, about 4-5 minutes.
Stop and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add sifted powdered sugar ½ c at a time, beating each addition of powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl as needed.
Beat on high until the buttercream is fully incorpated and desired consistency. If the buttercream is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, beating until well incorporated.

Assemble Cake

Using an offset spatula or frosting knife to spread on top of completely cooled fig hazelnut cake.
If serving the cake immediately after frosting, top with drizzle of honey, sliced figs and hazelnuts.
If serving at a later time, fully wrap the unfrosted cake to store at room temperature or in the fridge. When it's time to serve, top with room temperature frosting and desired toppings.

Notes

hazelnut flour: this can be purchase at a well stocked grocery store. I use Bobs Red Mill

alternatively, you can process whole hazelnuts in a food processor until the consistency of fine sand.
almond flour would also be a good substitute for hazelnut flour and may be more readily available.

chai spice blend: this can be purchased online or at the grocery store. you can also make a big batch to use all season long. this is the blend I like to use:

3 tablespoon ground ginger (16g)
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon (15g)
1 tablespoon ground allspice (6g)
1 tablespoon ground cardamon (6g)
1.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg (3.5g)
1.5 teaspoon ground cloves (3.5g)
place all ingredients in a bowl. mix well to combine
store in a spice jar or small mason jar

baking pans and times: this recipe was developed using a 9"X 3" round cake pan. If you do not have this pan, you may use other pans to achieve a layer cake or a sheet pan cake.

(2) 8" or 9" round cake pans : bake for 25-35 minutes
(2) 8" or 9" square pans : bake for 25-35 minutes
(2) 9X5 loaf pans : bake for 40-50 minutes
(1) 11X7 pan : bake for 25-35 minutes
(1) 9X13 pan : bake for 25-35 minutes
(1) 10 c or larger bundt cake pan : 40-50 minutes
these times are approximate so you should look for the signs the cake is done.

Keyword cream cheese frosting, easy fall cake, fig and hazelnut cake, fig cake

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