Yoghurt and Walnut Cake with Figs: Finally I got my fig form my garden !

I love to grow trees and I have a dream of a garden full of many fruits and vegetables, well it's only a dream because every time that I tried to grow something it died, haha.

 

Anyway I just can't stop trying, so this time I told my brother to take care of the trees for me, ^ ^. I really want to grow the fig tree for a long time, and my first attempt for fig  D-I-E-D (like other kind of fruit or herbs which I tried to plant -*-). So this year, when my brother asked me what to buy I choose fig. It's like something that I need to make over.

Months after months, I had to take a look at the trees almost everyday, hoping that I will get the fresh fruits for baking (I had to tell myself not to touch it, haha, there was a time that I had a jasmine tree, it was beautiful with a lot of flowers, it died after I tried to take care of it, -*-).
Finally, the time that I waited for is coming, the fruits are here, like you can see in the picture, and I start finding the recipe to use them. It's not hard to find the recipe for the fresh fig, (eat it plain, haha), because I have a lot ^ ^.

Luckily, I found the recipe for this lovely cake in the Vogue Entertaining + Travel (issue: February/March 2010), in the Turkish inspired menu. Fig usually used in the Mediterranean region because it widely grown in that climate.

I love the look of this cake, it's very lovely with the green and red jewel (from the pomegranate seed). The cake is a little dense because the cake contains nut and and soaked with the lemon syrup.

If you can find the pomegranate with the red seeds, the cake will be very lovely, but there are some kind of the pomegranate, that the seed is not red, it's yellow. So, if your pomegranate is not ruby red, just add the red food coloring when simmering the seeds in the syrup (or if you don't think the look is important use it as it is).

Some people don't like to eat fig, because it's quite sweet and it has a distinguish taste and smell. Anyway, for this cake, if you don't like fig or don't have it, don't worry it's still delicious. 

Adaptation from: Vogue Entertaining + Travel issue: February/March 2010.

Yoghurt and Walnut Cake with Figs

Makes 20 cm cake

75g .................................... plain flour
80g ................................... fine semolina
¾ tsp ............................... baking powder
¼ tsp ............................... baking soda
75g ................................... walnuts, roasted, finely ground
2 ....................................... eggs
260g ................................ caster sugar
70g ................................... unsalted butter, melted
30ml ................................ vegetable oil
1tsp .................................. vanilla extract
150g ................................ yoghurt
.......................................... Finely grated zest of 1 lemons
.......................................... juice of 1½ lemons
½ ..................................... cinnamon quill
3 ....................................... cardamom pods, crushed
1 ........................................ pomegranate, seeds removed
4 ....................................... black or green figs, torn in half
1 tbsp .............................. slivered pistachios or chopped pistachios, to serve


Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a 20cm springform tin, then line the base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm beyond tin rim.

Sift flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt into a bowl, then stir in ground walnuts.

Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs and 110g of sugar together until thick and pale.

Combine butter, oil and vanilla in a jug, then pour over flour mixture. Add yoghurt and one-third of the egg mixture and stir together to combine, then gently fold in the remaining egg mixture. 

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake on the lowest shelf in the oven for 40-45 minutes, covering the top with baking paper towards the end of baking to prevent over-browning, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of’ the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, place 110g of sugar, 90ml of water, lemon zest and the juice of 1  lemons, cinnamon and cardamom in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture, discard spices.

Using a skewer, prick the top of the cake, then gradually brush the hot syrup (I slowly pour the mixture over the cake) over the hot cake and leave to cool in the tin.

Place remaining 40g of sugar, juice of ½ lemon and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pomegranate seeds and simmer for 2—3 minutes or until the seeds tint the syrup pink.
Place the cake on a platter with a lip, arrange figs over the top of the cake, scatter with pistachios, then drizzle over the pomegranate syrup.  

Yoghurt and Walnut Cake with Figs: 

Finally I got my fig form my garden !