maple brown butter fig layer cake
Flirting with fall by incorporating nutty brown butter, maple, and seasonal figs into a nice and tall layer cake. Not getting obnoxious about the perception of the new season. Yet. Give it about a week.
I didn’t love figs all that much until I readily acknowledged their existence. I guess before I started seriously playing with flavors and cooking and all that, figs were always a backburner fruit, one I acknowledged but somehow found inaccessible to my skill set. Can’t tell you why that was, they aren’t locked in a vault for only the most famous of food slingers.
By the way, you will never see me use the term *~foodie~* on this here site. I find that term rather shameful and embarrassing. It’d be a blow to those who create such beautiful plates. Sort of like if I called people high fiving virtual avatars while glued to the Peloton bike “cyclists.”
(Browned) Butter Fingers
This cake is tender and dripping with sweet fig preserves swirled into a finger-licking fab maple bourbon buttercream. I obviously have a thing for throwing bourbon in whatever I can this time of year (and sometimes sneaking a shot in the process).
The real star of this cake, though? Brown butter. If you’ve never browned butter, you’re in for a seriously treat. The process is quick and very easy, just takes a slightly watchful eye to ensure nothing burns. Browning the butter turns transforms the flavor from salty and creamy to nutty and sweet. Perfect, then, for a maple-laden cake.
To brown the butter, simply melt in a small sauce pan over medium heat until the liquid turns a golden color. Typically, the butter will fizz and pop around – so be careful of splatter! – then suddenly stop with the noises. Once that happens, the butter is ready to go. Pour into a heat-safe jar or container and refrigerate until solidifed but about room temperature. This took about 20 minutes.
Cake Tales
Next, make the batter.
Ensure all of your liquid ingredients are at room temperature: browned butter, eggs, maple syrup, buttermilk.
Cream the browned butter and sugar together until floof, about 2-3 minutes. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, and finish with a swirl of vanilla extract.
Combine the buttermilk and maple syrup in a glass measuring cup.
In a third bowl (I know, so many vessels, layer cakes are needy), whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and a touch of cinnamon. Then, alternate the buttermilk-maple mixture and the flour mixture into the brown butter bowl. Beat thoroughly in between each addition, but do not overmix!
Grease three 6-inch cake pans and divide the batter evenly amongst each. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until set in the center. Cool 5-10 minutes in the pans, then flip onto a wire cooling rack and transfer to the freezer for about 15 minutes to set. This expedites the cooling process and also helps with the sturdiness of the cake when stacked and decorated.
Don’t Fig Up!
The maple bourbon buttercream is about as tempting as the glaze found on the Bourbon Cinnamon Sugar Glazed Peach Scones. The bourbon, as always, really is optional, but it offers such a depth of flavor and compliment to the maple that I highly recommend you try it out. It’s not nearly enough to render you a waltzing drunkard. Promise.
Our frosting uses powdered sugar, maple syrup, softened butter, bourbon, vanilla, and a touch of heavy cream as needed to achieve the whipped, soft texture desired of the spread. Beat the ingredients together, adding a tablespoon or two of milk if you need, and give yourself multiple taste tests to ensure the buttercream isn’t poison. Wouldn’t want to serve poison to guests by accident.
Get your buttercream, cake layers, and fig jam ready for the decorating process! Seriously, hype them up with some cheesy mantras that don’t mean shit anyway, a pat on the buttocks, and some hard manly clapping.
Set one cake layer on a flat surface and lightly frost the top. Then, use a piping bag with an attached top to make a ring of frosting around the perimeter, leaving about a 3 inch circle in the center. This creates something of a moat in which the fig jam lives. Spoon some of the jam in the center (think 2-3 good spoonfuls) and spread in the circle. Stack a second layer of cake atop and repeat the light frost-moat-jam process. Place the third and final layer on top.
Lightly frost the whole cake, then set in the fridge for 10 minutes. The ever-important crumb layer provides a foundation for the remaining buttercream to spread smoothly upon. Remove the cake from the fridge and complete the frosting process. Swirl any remaining fig jam on top of the cake and decorate lavishly with flowers and fresh figs.
Take this cake to a dinner party and be ready for the guests’ eyes to widen like a 100 mph fastball streams straight at their faces. This cake is an homage to both seasons, end of summer and early autumn, so those unwilling to let go of the blistering heat can cohabitate merrily with the summer cynicists who can’t wait for the temperatures to drop.
If you have leftover fresh figs, turn them into Sheetpan Roasted Fig Balsamic Salmon or a Fig Julep!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
My favorite cakes of late:
Triple Layer Chocolate Explosion Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup fig preserves
maple bourbon buttercream
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 stick butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp heavy cream, as needed
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan until the fizzing noise disappears and the liquid turns a rich golden color, about 10 minutes. Pour into a heat-safe jar and refrigerate until just solid but still room temperature to touch.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 6-inch cake pans generously with oil.
- With a stand of hand mixer, cream the brown butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated, then whip in the vanilla.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and maple syrup. Alternate flour mixture and butter mixture into the sugar mixture, beating until just combined between each turn. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly between the three prepped cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter to loosen any air bubbles. Bake 30-35 minutes until the center is just set and a toothpick inserted removes with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes and turn onto a wire cooling rack. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to set.
- Make the buttercream. Whip together the powdered sugar, butter, maple syrup, bourbon (if using), and vanilla extract until smooth and spreadable. If the frosting seems too thick, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time.
- If needed, level the tops of the cake layers with a sharp knife. Set the first layer on a flat surface and lightly frost. Pipe a dam of frosting around the perimeter, leaving a 3 inch or so circle in the center. Spread a few spoonfuls in the circle. Add second layer of cake, pressing gently to adhere, and lightly frost the top, then create a dam for the jam with the piping method. Spread jam into the center. Finish with the third layer of cake. Frost entire cake with a light layer, then transfer to the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
- Finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream. Swirl remaining fig jam on the top of the cake and garnish with fresh figs and flowers.
