Serves12 to 16
- Active time:40 min
- Start to finish:3 1/2 hr
January 2008
Bundt cakes are always crowd-pleasers, and this dark, moist one won't disappoint. The combination of time-honored ingredients—sweet dried figs, crunchy pecans, and aromatic bourbon—will have your guests clamoring for the recipe.
For cake
-
1
lb
dried Black Mission figs, hard tips discarded
-
2
cups
water
-
1/2
cup
bourbon
-
1
teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
3
cups
sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
-
2
teaspoons
baking powder
-
3/4
teaspoon
baking soda
-
3/4
teaspoon
salt
-
1/2
teaspoon
cinnamon
-
1/2
teaspoon
grated nutmeg
-
1 3/4
cups
pecans (7 oz)
-
2
cups
packed light brown sugar
-
1
cup
vegetable oil
-
3
large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
For icing
-
1
cup
confectioners sugar
-
4 1/2
tablespoons
heavy cream
-
2
teaspoons
bourbon
-
1/4
teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
Special equipment:
a 12-cup bundt pan
Make cake:
-
Simmer figs in water in a heavy medium saucepan, covered, until figs are tender and most of liquid is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Purée in a food processor with bourbon and vanilla. Cool to warm.
-
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour bundt pan, knocking out excess flour.
-
While oven preheats, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
-
Lightly toast pecans in a shallow baking pan in oven, 8 to 10 minutes, then cool and coarsely chop. Leave oven on.
-
Beat together brown sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in fig mixture. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated, then fold in pecans.
-
Pour batter into bundt pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, then invert onto a plate.
Cooks’ note: Cake (before icing) improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead and can be made 5 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
