Crumble Cake with Walnuts and Figs

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com

Sometimes food tastes like heaven simply because it’s steeped in nostalgia and prepared with the love that’s passed from one generation of home chefs to the next. This is quite true with simple recipes like this walnut and figs crumble cake, where the delicious taste of the tender figs contrasts with the crumbly nutty texture. The fig layer provides a sticky sweet foil to the walnut crumble without being too moist. Accompanied by a good hot spiced tea, this crumble cake is a pure delight. We enjoin you to flavor with brown sugar instead of refined sugar to give it a more rustic touch.

Ingredient list for the crumble cake with walnuts and figs

For the cake batter, makes a  10 x 10 inches square pan:

• 6 tablespoons sour cream — 30% fat
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1 cup (100g) of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 2/3 oz (75g) softened butter
• 1 3/4 oz (50g) walnut powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• A dozen fresh figs — washed, dried, quartered

For the crumble topping

• 2 1/2 oz (70g) cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 1/2 tablespoons (30g) brown sugar
• 3 1/3 tablespoons (40g) caster sugar
• 4/5 cup (90g) flour
• 1/4 tablespoon cinnamon powder

Directions

For the crumble:
1. Pour all ingredients in a bowl. Mix with your fingertips to get close of thick sand texture. The mixture should look really grainy.
2. Preheat your oven to 360°F (180°C).

For the dough:
1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine together cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, softened butter, ground walnuts, and cinnamon.
2. Stir to obtain a homogeneous paste. Pour into a rimmed square pan, lined with parchment paper.
3. Place figs on the dough by pressing slightly.
4. Cover with the crumble topping.
5. Bake for 45/50 minutes, check for doneness with the tip of a knife. Let cool before un-molding. Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy!

(Image by Anne Desplancke)