Fig & Cherry Cakelette

Baking is like therapy for me. The entire act from start to finish brings me an insane amount of joy. When I feel the need for a baking session to clear my head, it’s what comes after that which deters me from starting in the first place. This is where small-batch baking and the concept of a cakelette both come in to save the day.

There are a number of reasons why I’m going to be sharing a lot more small batch recipes in the future, but the biggest one is portion control. Why bake an entire cake which you’ll only end up having a stare-down with every time you walk into the kitchen when you can easily bake a small one perfect for 4 servings? Life is too short not to eat cake. It’s also too short for overeating, food waste and spending a ridiculous amount on ingredients. Life is not too short for a Fig & Cherry Cakelette.

We live in an age where we watch what we eat, but denying ourselves completely is unnatural and a recipe for disaster. I’m not a qualified nutritionist, dietician or health coach, but I’ve been on enough diets to know that when you cut something out completely (unless due to a specific and professionally diagnosed food intolerance), you’re asking for trouble.

I’m not saying eat all the cake, but I am saying that you should at least allow yourself a slice every now and then if you feel like it. Life is complicated enough as is.

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Fig & Cherry Cakelette

SERVES 2-4

This is a beautiful little cake that’s perfect for any celebration or just because. The addition of rosewater to the buttercream adds a gorgeous floral perfume to the cake, but if you’re not crazy about the stuff or don’t have any, then it’s absolutely okay to leave it out. Depending on how thick you like to ice your cakes, you’ll either have enough or have leftovers – which can be frozen to use for your next cakelette!

INGREDIENTS

• 84g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons whole milk
• fresh figs
• cherry jam
• Caramelised White Chocolate Sauce

Rosewater Buttercream

• 113g butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp rosewater
• 1 tbsp cream or full-cream milk

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease, flour and line your mini cake tins. 
2. Combine the butter and sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a hand-held mixer until light & fluffy – around 2 minutes. 
3. Add the egg and vanilla, then continue beating for around 20 seconds more until well-combined.
4. Sift in the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, add the milk and gently mix until everything is fully combined. 
5. Divide the batter into the two prepared cake tins and bake for around 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Remove the cakelettes from the oven and place on a cooling rack for around 10 minutes, then carefully remove them from their tins.
7. While the cakelettes are cooling make the buttercream by combining all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and beating with a hand-held mixer until light, fluffy and smooth.
8. Finish the cakelette off by sandwiching it together with a few spoonfuls of cherry jam surrounded by buttercream. 
9. Continue icing the cake by covering it with buttercream and smoothing around the edges (you might want to place the cakelette in the fridge if it’s too warm in your kitchen and you feel like the buttercream is too soft.)
10. Decorate with fresh figs and drizzle with Caramelised White Chocolate Sauce.
11. Enjoy!

NOTES

You’re going to need to use 2 x round 10cm mini cake tin for this one. They’re available on Takealot or YuppieChef.