Fig Olive Oil Cake
This fig olive oil cake layers honey ricotta filling and ricotta whipped cream between two tender orange olive oil cakes, finished with fresh figs and a drizzle of honey. It comes together with a simple technique and a handful of seasonal ingredients.
Servings: 16 people
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups olive oil
- 2 ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
Ricotta Whipped Cream
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 teaspoons confectioner's sugar — or honey if you'd like
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream — cold
Topping
- 2 dry pints fresh figs — quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F conventional. Spray and line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment.
- Zest the orange directly into the sugar and let it sit while you measure the remaining ingredients.
- Whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour in a bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, sugar with zest, milk, and orange juice until combined.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients until very few lumps remain. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. You can fold in some chopped figs at this point if you like. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the center gives slight resistance when pressed lightly.
- Cool the cakes completely in their pans before turning out onto a rack or cake stand.
- Process the ricotta with a food processor or immersion blender until completely smooth. Reserve 1 cup for the whipped cream. Mix the remaining ricotta with 1 tablespoon honey for the filling, then refrigerate until ready to use.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the reserved 1 cup ricotta, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and cold heavy cream. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Place the first cake layer on a cake plate. Spread the ricotta honey filling over the top. Add sliced fresh figs over the filling if desired, then set the second layer on top.
- Mound all of the whipped cream on top, pile on the quartered figs, drizzle with honey, and serve.
Video
Notes
Yield: 16 servings from two 9-inch round cake layers.
Doneness Cue: The cake layers are done when they are golden brown and the center gives slight resistance when pressed lightly, not a soft or springy bounce.
Storage: The fully assembled cake can be made a day in advance: wrap well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make Ahead: Cake layers can be made up to a week ahead. For the best flavor and texture, make them the day before or freeze them if you need more lead time.
Doneness Cue: The cake layers are done when they are golden brown and the center gives slight resistance when pressed lightly, not a soft or springy bounce.
Storage: The fully assembled cake can be made a day in advance: wrap well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make Ahead: Cake layers can be made up to a week ahead. For the best flavor and texture, make them the day before or freeze them if you need more lead time.
Nutrition
Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 506IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1mg