Categories: Cake

Lemon Thyme, Figs and Orange Blossom Cake

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Figs, orange blossom cake with lemon thyme! When I came up with this combination, it made me smile, happy and I have to say a bit proud. 🙂

Let’s talk about something off piste for a bit. What do you think happiness is? I think it is rather complicated, the idea of attainment of happiness. For me if I am in the moment and if the happiness stays in it like the perception in my mind or the air I breath effortlessly, that is the pursuit of happiness. I was watching a documentary of a tribe some where in Latin America, for them happiness is running and they run for miles without proper shoes or any gear. The other tribe near Vanuatu, they bungee jump from heights, again without any proper gear. They seem like nutters jumping from height with clothes made of tree leaves.

Seems rather bizarre right? I know I am going verbose here, but the idea of happiness for me is when I create something new or think of something out of the box. That’s what happened when I developed this Figs, orange blossom cake with lemon thyme.

Fast forward to this cake.

I was having some friends over for a dinner. I was running out of time to make a dessert because of really poor planning on my part and I was a bit tired.

But I saved the day by making this delicious and unique Figs, orange blossom cake with lemon thyme. I love lemon thyme and orange blossom water, the combination is delicate.

I have baked a few things using these but this was the first time I was baking with figs so I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out. Well the combination really worked and the cake was delicious. I served this cake with plain vanilla ice cream and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

If you like baking cake check out these recipes.

Orange Honey Cake

Upside down pear ginger cake.

So this is how you make this cake!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup plain flour (all purpose flour)
120 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
3 eggs
175 g sugar (you can use 1 cup)
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp orange blossom water
A few sprigs of lemon thyme picked
10 figs cut lengthwise
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp butter for greasing

Instructions:

Preheat the oven on 180C/350F.

Line the cake tin with baking parchment and grease it with butter.

Mix the flour with salt and baking powder, whisk it well or sift it for 2-3 times. Keep it aside.

In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar. When it’s light and creamy add 1 egg at a time. Now add in the orange zest, blossom water. Whisk it well but don’t over mix as the eggs can break down.

Fold in the thyme and the flour in 3 batches. Add milk and fold it well. Take the air bubbles out by tapping the cake tin on the counter.

Place the figs in a circle on the top, sprinkle the chia seeds on the top.

Bake it in the preheated oven for 35-37 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool it on the wire rack, dust some icing sugar if you want.

Serve it with coffee.

Enjoy.

Gayatri Singh