Ingredients for the Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Ingredients for the Goat Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces plain goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup whipping cream
Ingredients for the Fig Jam
- 4 cups chopped fresh figs
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Ingredients for the Whipped Lemon Mascarpone Frosting
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I like Darry Gold)
- 8 oz. mascarpone
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
Directions:
Yield 1 3-layer, 8-inch cake
For the Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, honey and vanilla. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Gradually add in the dry and wet ingredients, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
7. Evenly divide the batter between the three cake pans (about 16 to 17 ounces in each).
8. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes nearly clean
9. Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
For the Goat Cheese Filling
1. In the bowl of stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese and honey and mix well.
3. Fold in the whipped cream. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
For the Fig Jam
1. In a medium size saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to boil.
2. Continue to simmer the mixture on low for 30 to 60 minutes until thick.
3. Let cool completely
4. In a food processor or blender, process the jam until it's nearly smooth. Pour into mason jars and refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Best to make a day or two ahead of time.
For the Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
2. In the same bowl for the electric mixer, combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar and lemon extract. Mix on medium speed until incorporated.
3. Gradually fold in the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture.
4. Use right away.
For Assembly
1. On a cake board, spread a small dollop of frosting to hold the cake in place. Place your first cake layer on the board.
2. Spread about 1/2 cup of the goat cheese filling on the cake layer. Pipe a rim of mascarpone frosting around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with 1/2 cup fig jam.
3. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat step 2. Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the filling. Freeze the cake, with no crumb coat, for about 20 minutes.
4. The mascarpone frosting won't freeze like normal buttercream, so I don't typically do a crumb coat and will just frost the cake roughly just one time.
5. Chill in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve.
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