Fig, Ricotta and Walnut Cake

Serves 8

Following on from the tomatoes earlier in the week, I was also fortunate to collect a small batch of figs from the French garden I was staying at. These trees produce a bananas amount of figs and the owners are slaves to making sure none of it goes to waste. Fig puree, sun dried figs, fig chutney, a full figgy production. This recipe is perfect for a handful of figs and they make a lovely jammy top to this cake. Figs are a gentle flavour so be sure to add a good helping of orange and generous pinch of salt for the batter of the cake to compliment and really bring out the figs.

140g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
Zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
Zest of 1 orange
3 eggs
Pinch of flaked salt
165g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
250g ricotta
8-10 figs, about 250-300g
30g of Demerara sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
50g walnuts, crushed

Preheat your oven to 180C

Either using a standing mixer or a hand mixer, put your butter, sugar, lemon and orange zest in a bowl and beat it together for 3-4 minutes until it all comes together in an even sticky mixture.

Add your eggs, beating them in one by one to ensure its all evenly incorporated.
In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients together - salt, flour, baking powder. Pour it into the egg batter and mix it together. Add the ricotta, make sure that’s evenly mixed through and then pour this into a cake tin. Toss the figs in a little flour then squish them into the top of the cake.

Mix the Demerara, walnuts and cinnamon together. This will go on after 45 minutes of baking, of which the total bake is 1hr 10mins.

Put the kettle on and enjoy.