Eat: Iced Honey Mascarpone and Almond Cake with Fig Salad

With figs being in season I thought it worth sharing this gorgeous cake recipe from Gourmet Recipes

You’ll need to start this recipe at least a day ahead.

Ingredients

12 figs, quartered
125 gm raspberries (optional)
1 tbsp amaretto
To serve: honey

Almond dacquoise
200 gm unblanched almonds
6 egg whites
110 gm (½ cup) caster sugar
60 gm icing sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
50 gm plain flour

Honey mascarpone

3 egg yolks
110 gm honey, or 50 gm honey and 60 gm brown sugar
750 gm mascarpone, or 400 gm mascarpone and 500 ml whipped cream
60 ml (¼ cup) amaretto

1. For dacquoise, preheat oven to 150C. Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, add caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy. Fold in icing sugar, then almonds and flour and spoon into a piping bag. Trace three 18cm circles onto baking paper-lined oven trays. Pipe dacquoise within template into circles, bake for 15 minutes or until just golden, cool on trays for 5 minutes, then turn onto baking paper sprinkled with icing sugar and cool completely.

2. For mascarpone, combine egg yolks and honey in a heat-proof bowl and whisk over simmering water for 7-8 minutes or until pale and thick. Transfer to an electric mixer and whisk until cold. In a bowl, gently mix amaretto and mascarpone, then fold in egg yolk mixture.

3. To assemble, place a dacquoise circle, trimming edges to fit, into a baking paper-lined 20cm springform pan, spread with one third of mascarpone all the way to the edges and down the sides, then top with another circle. Repeat with remaining mascarpone and dacquoise, finishing with a layer of mascarpone and freeze overnight.

4. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove cake from freezer and place in refrigerator. Combine figs and raspberries in a bowl, drizzle with amaretto and stand for 10 minutes. To serve, remove cake from pan, arrange fig salad on top and drizzle with honey.