Ridiculously simple to make but just a little bit fancy!
- 125 g butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1½ cups SR flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup greek yogurt (could sub for sour cream, buttermilk or in a real pinch, normal milk but that may need a touch more flour)
- 3 finely chopped figs (could use dry figs too)
Over low heat mix butter and sugar until dissolved. (If you are using dried figs add them in now) Crank up the heat and let caramelise for a few minutes until colour darkens slightly. Pop everything else except fresh figs in mixer and gradually add in caramel. Beat for a few minutes until pale in colour. Add in fresh figs. Pop in a cake tin and bake at 180 deg cel until a skewer comes out clean.
To make it rather tizzy, today I split the cake, brushed with maple syrup and filled with a maple buttercream. As a general rule I do not do icing recipes as they should be made by feel. The general idea though is 60ish grams of butter (soft), beaten the crappers out of until very pale. A good dousing of maple syrup, a chug of milk and then enough icing sugar beaten in until it makes a lovely stiff icing. I couldn’t be stuffed doing pretty piping so just dusted with icing sugar.
The Ramblings:
Lots of changes have happened here in the last month or two, new owners, new managers, no dance, Westech postponed etc etc etc. I’m not normally one to cope with change well, however, some aspects have been really really awesome. One of which is me being allowed out in the paddock with Matt so much more. I’ve been jumping in on water runs, checking electric fences etc, but also, when they’ve been scanning on weekends, I’ve been allowed to go down the yards and play sheepies!!! My friend Carly has been down too and she and I have been having a blast being the branding girls!!! On Friday afternoon I decided that yards called for epic smoko so baked up a storm. I made this caramel fig cake (Carly brought down figs, bless her cotton socks!!!!), custard cookies and a drunken pumpkin fruit cake.
Our managers wife and their daughter (about my age) popped down to the yards and we all stopped for afternoon smoko for half an hour. Something so simple but so so lovely. A great way to spend a Saturday!
Must admit, I’m not as fit as I was, so after jumping over rails and skipping along draft boards rustling along my wooly friends for most of the afternoon, today will be a much steadier affair… Miss Hazel had much fun but has made it clear that this behavior is not be repeated very frequently…. However, I have got crumpets rising, so Sunday is off to a good start!
Carolyn Lamb
Good to read your ramblings, Claire, and that you are enjoying the sheep work again. Just take care with that little bundle you are carrying, and don’t overdo it!!
The method for this cake is so simple, so as soon as I can get my hands on some figs, I will be trying it!
I would really love to buy your Recipe Book, but I am old-school, and don’t do bank transfers online, so need to work out how to pay for it!! I don’t even own a computer!