Ocracoke fig cake with buttermilk sherbet
Instructions:
- Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour;
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg;
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice;
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon;
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt;
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature;
- 11⁄2 cups sugar;
- 1 cup vegetable oil;
- 1⁄2 cup well-shaken buttermilk;
- 1 teaspoon baking soda;
- 1 tablespoon hot water;
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract;
- 1 cup Easy Fig Preserves
- 1 cup chopped walnuts;
- Buttermilk Sherbet
, for serving
- Glaze:
- 1 cup sugar;
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda;
- 1⁄2 cup well-shaken buttermilk;
- 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter;
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup;
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch, light metal tube pan, tapping out any excess flour. (A dark metal, nonstick, or heavy Bundt pan will make the crust too dark and thick and will alter the baking time.)
- Sift together the flour, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl.
- Beat the eggs until foamy in a large bowl with an electric mixer. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar, beating until the mixture is thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the oil, beating until well mixed. Beat in half of the flour mixture, then the buttermilk, and then the remaining flour mixture, beating each time only until the batter is smooth.
- In a small bowl, stir together the baking soda and water until the soda dissolves. With the mixer set to low speed, beat the soda mixture, vanilla, preserves, and walnuts into the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir well with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Set the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge of the cake, and then turn it out on the rack to cool to room temperature before glazing.
- For the glaze: Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until the glaze is thick and opaque. Remove the glaze from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool to room temperature; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Drizzle the cooled glaze over the cooled cake.
- To serve, cut the cake into wedges and serve with a small scoop of Buttermilk Sherbet.