August 21, 2022

Chocolate Cognac Fresh Fig Cake

Rich, moist, fudgy, and decadent, this fresh fig cake is made with chocolate sponges sandwiching a chocolate cognac ganache. Two entire pounds of fresh figs are baked into this 2-layer, 9-inch cake. They’re sweet, with caramelized notes, and perfectly tie the richness of the chocolate with the sweet and fruity cognac. And there really is something so charmingly beautiful about the cross-section of the stunning fresh figs decorating the tops of the cake. If you love chocolate, this is the cake for you- it’s rich and luxurious and oh-so-chocolatey.

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Are Figs Vegan?

If you’re reading this, you might be thinking, “Of course figs are vegan, they’re fruit! Why are we even talking about this?”. Unless you’ve spent a decent amount of time in vegan internet forums, then you probably know what I’m talking about. There is a common narrative out there that figs are not vegan, because in order to pollinate the crop a wasp has to die and its body is trapped in each fig. It is claimed that the crunchy bits in the middle of the fig are that wasp. Well, if you’ve heard that, let me start by saying the crunchy bits in the middle of a fig are seeds not wasp bits. And while this narrative isn’t true, it’s doesn’t come from nowhere either.

Lots of crops are pollinated by insects. Crops like almonds, squash and apples are pollinated by honeybees. Cashews and papaya are pollinated by moths. Macadamia nuts are pollinated by beetles. And some varieties of figs are pollinated by wasps. Let me mention that most of the varieties sold in the United States (like the black mission figs I used here) have been bred to ripen without pollination, so they do not rely on wasps. The types of figs that do rely on wasps to ripen exist in a mutually beneficial relationship with wasps, but it does involve wasp death. Female wasps carry pollen on their wings and enter immature figs. When they enter a male fig, they lay their eggs inside. When they enter a female fig, they pollinate the flower and become trapped, dying. After female wasps die and the growing figs produce a chemical that breaks down the insect’s body, so you won’t find it in your food. Figs than act as a safe nursery for the growing wasps. Once the male wasps are born, they start digging their way through the fig to make a channel for the female wasps to exit. The female wasps are born after the male ones, and after they exit the fig they were born in the cycle continues. The wasps pollinate the figs, the figs nurture the baby wasps.

Unlike in many fruit crops, where farmers transport beehives from field to field, contributing to colony collapse and bee death, the relationship between figs and wasps happens without human intervention. Of course, you have to decide for yourself what foods are or aren’t vegan, but from my perspective figs are a perfectly wasp-friendly vegan food.

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How to Make Chocolate Fresh Fig Cake

Start of by cutting your beautiful, fresh figs. You’ll need about 2 pounds for the cake, and more if you want to use them for decorating. In order make the inside of the figs visible, cut them vertically to expose the tear-drop shaped center. For the very small figs I just cut them in half, but for most of them I cut them into four slices. Line your cake pans with parchment paper on the bottoms and grease the sides. I found my springform pans really helpful here. Make a single layer of figs on the bottom of each pan, placing them so they are fairly close together but not overlapping with the cut-sidesqa down.

To make the cake batter, combine the wet and dry ingredients separately before bringing them together. Then add boiling water, and whisk in well. The batter will be fairly thin, but don’t worry it’s all going to work out. Boiling water allows the chocolate to “bloom”, giving a more intense chocolate flavor even though we’re only using cocoa powder and not melted chocolate- it can also help with the cakes texture, so it’s a win/win.

Pour the batter over the figs in the pans, and then top with another layer of figs, this time cut-side up. Bake for about 45 minutes and let cool. We’re also going to make a chocolate and cognac ganache.

Use chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate and heat a mixture of cognac, vegan milk, and coconut oil. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit so the chocolate melts. Then mix well, and watch as the ganache turns smooth and glossy- I just love that part, it’s so satisfying. In order to get a nice filling layer, we’re going to chill the ganache and then whip it so it’s fluffy- you could actually use it as a frosting for the cake, but since that would cover up the beautiful figs we decided to stick to a filling. When the cakes are cool, spread the ganache evenly on one cake and top with the second. You can add a little powdered sugar on top, or decorate with more figs. I enjoyed serving it with half a fresh fig for each slice to break up the richness just a little. Enjoy!