Citrus Honey Cake with Fig Sauce

I really, really love this honey cake. I like it so much that while I was in Portugal, I made it again, but with a few changes that completely changed its taste. I basically took the original recipe and used what I had on hand. This cake is still just as moist, even more so with mashed bananas in place of the olive oil. Although, I love the earthiness sage gives the original cake, I choose to leave it out this time because I didn’t have it, and herbs aren’t flavors most like baked into their cakes. So this new version of my favorite cake is perfect for the non-adventurous eaters. It’s also on the very sweet side, and I was pleasantly surprised how much more I liked it by only using the cooked honey sauce. I used half of it to brush onto the cake hot out of the oven, like the original, but then used the remaining as the finishing glaze once the caked was cooled. I’m also sure that I like this sauce much better since I added a few tablespoons of the homemade fig jam I made days before.

The hints of fig seep into the cake, and blend beautifully with the lemon. It’s delicate, moist and full of distinct flavors. The cake was perfect already, but the final touch was toasted walnuts, because I needed that bit of crunch. I thought the new flavors of this cake were out of this world, and a great cake for late summer, and early fall entertaining. Even better when fresh figs come into the markets here in the states. It would be delicious topped with thinly sliced fresh figs or with them baked right into the cake.
As much as I love the flavors of the original, this new take is definitely simpler, and sure to please all. I still can’t decide if I like this fig version better, most likely, but both are still my favorite cake. 

Honey Cake with Honey Fig Sauce

Ingredients {Makes one 8″ Cake}

First Glaze

1 large – Lemon {zested}

3 to 4 tablespoons – Fig Jam {recipe here}

3/4 cup – Honey

Cake

1 1/2 cups – All Purpose Flour {can be replaced with whole wheat}

1/2 cup – Cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon – Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon – Baking Soda

1 teaspoon – Salt

1/2 teaspoon – Ground Cinnamon

2 large – Eggs

1/2 cup – Dark Brown Sugar {packed}

1/2 cup – Honey

1/4 cup – Milk

1/2 cup – Mashed Bananas {about 2 small bananas}

1 teaspoon – Lemon Zest

1/2 cup – Walnuts {chopped}

Recipe {Adapted by original Lemon Honey Sage Cake}

For the first glaze, pre-heat the oven to 325F degrees. Combine all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

For the cake, butter and flour, or use cooking spray, an 8-inch bundt pan {or another shaped cake pan}. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat eggs and brown sugar until pale and fluffy {about 3 to 5 minutes}. Beat in the honey, milk, mashed bananas, and zest. In two batches, add the flour mixture with mixer the on low, beating until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan, and bake, rotating halfway, until golden and toothpick comes out clean{about 30 to 35 minutes}. Once cake is removed from the oven, poke holes all over using a toothpick. Brush half of the lemon fig sauce over the top. Allow the cake to cool completely in pan.

In the meantime, toast the walnuts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Carefully remove cake from pan, then brush the remaining glaze over top until it’s used up. Top with toasted walnuts and serve.