Y’all. I gotta say, the weather is being a touch annoying. It was supposed to snow! But it ended up just being freezing rain. AND it’s the weekend so I don’t even get out of school? Seems like a bit of a scam.
Has it snowed at all for anyone else? I REALLY want snow. Like really really. It’s been so long sense I’ve had a snow day, or gotten to go sledding. And it would be absolutely amazing if the powder didn’t go out to. Every single snow storm I’ve experienced also knocked out the power. So I would really love a winter weather event that comes with indoor heating.
Although I wish it had snowed I have to admit, I love a good rainy day. I always curl up in a blanket with a book and some tea, or I’m baking something. And yesterday it was both. I was going to bake something else, but then I decided I wanted something cozy and different, so I made up this cake. And to be honest, I love it. It’s so cozy and yummy and it went perfectly with my morning cup of coffee!
Describe This Cake to Me
Taste: So this cake is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The nutty brown butter in the cake gives it this slightly savory taste, but with the warming spices and brown sugar it turns into a really warming and yummy cake. Plus you’ve got a little natural sweetness from the figs, and more melt in your mouth butteriness from the crumble on top. And lastly, there’s the bourbon glaze which adds a little tang.
Texture: This cake is actually quite crumbly, but still very moist as all coffee cakes should be. Plus you’ve got a little chewiness from the figs and a crunch from the walnuts and crumble on top.
Ease: I love the simplicity of this cake! It’s a one bowl batter, and no mixer required. You can use the same bowl for the crumble, and then you just throw that on top of the batter. The glaze has to simmer for about 30 minutes, but the active time is only a few minutes which makes it a breeze.
The Batter
This cake has all your base ingredients, but with a few extra things in there to make it extra cozy. Brown sugar gives it sweetness and adds a nice layer of caramelization to the edges of the cake. Salted brown butter gives it a melt in your mouth nutty flavor, which goes hand in hand with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. And finally you have the figs and walnuts to give the cake a unique cozy flavor.
The Crumble
I’m gonna tell you a little secret. This is the same crumble I used in a different coffee cake recipe I posted in 2022. But hey it’s a simple and tasty crumble, of course I’m gonna use it! And in my opinion, it isn’t a coffee cake without some crumble on top. Anyway, this is a very strait forward mix. Just flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salted butter. The cinnamon and salty butter tie the crumble into the rest of the cake but the crumble gets nice and crunchy when you bake it so you’ve got some variety in textures.
The Glaze
Ok so I randomly made this cake up on a free rainy Saturday, and it wasn’t until I had already put the cake in the oven that I realized I should’ve added bourbon. But then I realized, I can just make a glaze! Thus, this maple bourbon glaze was born. So to start this off, I simmer maple syrup and bourbon together. I like to toss a few dried figs in there to add a little added flavor, but this is optional. After that’s simmered for about 30 minutes, pick out those figs and add some confectioners sugar and salt. Drizzle that all over the cake and enjoy!
Fig and Walnut Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to sizzle and foam. Stirring constantly, continue to cook for 3-4 minutes and you will start to see brown specks appear. Keep stirring until the butter becomes an amber brown color and has a nutty aroma. Be careful, it can go from brown to burned very quickly!
- Remove from the heat and pour the brown butter into a bowl to cool while we prepare the cake. Make sure to get all the brown bits, those are the good part!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a nine inch springform cake pan with butter, line the bottom with a parchment paper round, and then grease the parchment. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and the cooled brown butter. Whisk until combined and there are no more lumps. Fold in the figs and walnuts, the batter will be thick. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, making sure to use a spatula to scrape out all of that batter! Set aside.
- In the same bowl, toss together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the softened salted butter and using your hands, massage the butter into the other ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture without any big clumps of butter. You can use a spatula to do this but I find that hands work best. Sprinkle the crumble right on top of the batter.
- Place the cake in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake is browned around the edges and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Baking times will vary, so start checking at 30 minutes. Mine took about 35 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 30 minutes on a wire cooling rack before drizzling with the glaze.
- Whisk together the maple syrup and bourbon in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, turn heat to medium low and allow to lightly simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add the confectioners sugar and salt and whisk to combine. Glaze will be on the thin side. Taste before using so you know how much to use. It is a relatively strong glaze, so you may not want to use all of it. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm cake.
- Cake is delicious warm or at room temperature! Stays fresh sealed at room temperature for up to 4 days.