Continuing with the trend of cakes that make my husband tilt his head to the side is this Almond Zimttorte with Honey and Figs. As I mentioned in my last post, he is not a fan of some of my family's innate cravings which includes figs. He jokingly refers to them as "alien fruit" because of their vibrant interior.
That's okay- more for us!
This cake was made for my wonderful mother as a going-away/"I-know-how-much-you-hate-flying" treat. She and her sister spent two weeks in Portugal trying to make sense of a pile of paperwork. Up in the Northern mountains, their childhood home now sits quietly collecting dust. It has been nothing short of a headache trying to make arrangements to sell the house from overseas. They had finally had enough and took matters into their own hands.
This cake was made for my wonderful mother as a going-away/"I-know-how-much-you-hate-flying" treat. She and her sister spent two weeks in Portugal trying to make sense of a pile of paperwork. Up in the Northern mountains, their childhood home now sits quietly collecting dust. It has been nothing short of a headache trying to make arrangements to sell the house from overseas. They had finally had enough and took matters into their own hands.
Pictured below are my grandparents at a local festa (left) and their home (right) in Trás-os-Montes over forty years ago. Wild, right?
It was in this home that the love for figs was born. My mother is a fig fanatic. Wherever she resides, there is a fig tree in the yard no matter how big or small. They are the highlight of the fruit season and are exchanged with same secrecy and reverence as black market goods. Whenever possible, I make her something new with this childhood staple.
This Almond Zimttorte is a rock star. The cake alone is crazy good because it is not super sugary and deviates from the usual chocolate/vanilla. It is comprised of ground almonds and there is a touch of corn flour/corn meal to create a more earthy taste. As it baked in the oven, you couldn't help but drift into the kitchen from the delicious aroma.
The frosting is a delightful combination of marscopne cheese, another plus because my mom loves Tiramisu, and whipped cream. It is a mild flavor that I would love to use on a number of other cakes. Paired with this not-so-sweet cake, it is a surprisingly complimentary combination.
Top with generous slices of figs and enjoy. You could have this without the figs but I wouldn't recommend it. They provide a juicy burst of freshness and help bring out the almond. The drizzle of honey is not a deal-breaker though!
Note, I did not frost this cake with a lot of patience. The directions were translated from German and I was thoroughly confused by the frosting segment. Total cluster. The first batch was thrown into the trash because the whipping cream broke when added to the marscapone. It was at this point the common sense hat had to be put on and I took my own approach. I hope you enjoy!
PS. The husband liked the cake -- just not the figs! : )
Almond Zimttorte with Honey and Figs
translated and slightly modified from Fräulein Klein
Cake
4 eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons hot water
100 grams granulated sugar
8 grams of vanilla sugar*
1 pinch of salt
70 gr. all purpose flour
70 gr. Corn flour/corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
50 gr. Ground almonds
Frosting
400 gr. heaving whipping cream
500 gr. Mascarpone
16 grams of vanilla sugar*
1/2 teaspoon bourbon (optional)
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
60 gr. white chocolate
*the original recipes calls for packets of vanilla sugar which are not common in US grocery stores; you can substitute with vanilla sugar from a gourmet shop or simply make your own.
Grease a 6 or 8-inch spring form pan. I prefer smaller cakes so I used a 6 inch pan. Preheat oven to 355F.
Separate the eggs. Mix the egg yolks with sugar, vanilla sugar, pinch of salt, and the water until very thick creamy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour with corn meal/ corn flour, grounds almonds, and baking powder. Combine the with the egg yolk mixture.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks appears. Gently fold into the batter.
Pour mixture into the prepared spring form pan and set in oven for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on an oven rack. Carefully, slice the cake into three, even layers. This was the most stressful part for me but we got through!
For the frosting, melt the white chocolate via the microwave or on the stove top in a double boiler. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone with cinnamon and vanilla sugar until smooth. Gradually add in the whipping cream until the icing becomes fluffy.
Split the frosting into two separate bowls. Set one aside for frosting the exterior of the cake. With the other half of frosting, stir in the slightly cooled white chocolate and use to frost between the layers of cake. If there's any leftover, go ahead and mix it with the frosting you had set to the side- no sense in wasting.
Frost the exterior of the cake with the reserved frosting; if there's any extra left over, use to form into balls for cake decoration.
Frost the exterior of the cake with the reserved frosting; if there's any extra left over, use to form into balls for cake decoration.
If you don't have enough left over frosting and you really want those little frosting poms, don't worry! Mix 100 gr. confectioner's sugar with 80 gr. unsalted butter and use as the frosting poms!
Decorate cake with slices of figs and a drizzle of honey.