Honey Fig Cake + Layered Cookbook Giveaway!
25.5.2016
A few years ago, while I was trying to figure out which career I was going to pursue, there was a brief and ill-advised period in which I thought I would be a wedding cake baker. Except that I couldn’t stand fondant and refused to work with it. And it turns out that I don’t actually have enough room in my fridge to make space for all those chilling cake layers. And then the single wedding cake that I actually did make stressed me out so wholly and completely that I immediately decided to look elsewhere for work.
Since then, I’ve stuck to cake-baking for my own pleasure (as you might have already noticed). When the pressure’s off, it’s actually quite easy to make layer cakes, and I love what a joyful way they are to finish any meal. So when Food Bloggers of Canada approached me to see if I’d like to bake something from Tessa Huff’s gorgeous new cookbook, Layered, it was an easy offer to accept!
What I love about this cookbook is the relaxed, approachable take Huff uses in her recipes and technique guides — and the fact that she’s also a staunch buttercream supporter doesn’t hurt, either! There’s such a great assortment of recipes in here, too — from the ultra gussied-up six-layer raspberry stout cake, to a host of everyday cakes to appease your sweet tooth on a worknight.
This honey fig cake looked so gorgeous and summery that I knew right away I wanted to make it. It was my first real baking project since I moved into my new apartment! The cake batter is delicately flavoured with olive oil and honey, and has cornmeal in it for depth and texture. The frosting is honestly my dream frosting — just two ingredients: thickened yoghurt and honey. And the thyme syrup adds a lovely floral note that ties the whole thing together.
Want the recipe? I can’t blame you! But instead of posting it here, I’m going to do you one better. Thanks to FBC, Tessa Huff, and ABRAMS Books, you can enter below to win your very own copy of Layered! Plus, if you visit the other blogs listed in the roundup below, you can increase your chances to win by entering the giveaways on their sites as well. Best of luck!
GIVEAWAY
To enter the GIVEAWAY, use the form below. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only, excluding residents of Quebec. The winner will be chosen at random and will be required to answer a skill testing question. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours of the end of the giveaway so please make sure you use a valid email address! The winner must respond within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen. The giveaway will be open from May 24th, 2016 12am EST until June 2nd, 2016 11:59pm EST. No purchase necessary.
As a bonus, FBC has put together a blog hop for you! There will be 7 other opportunities to win this book all week long! Visit the reviews of Layered from these other bloggers and enter to win:
- Amanda of The Cinnamon Scrolls kicks it off with Coconut Mojito Cake
- Renee of Sweet Revelations is making Golden Champagne Celebration Cake
- Olivia of Liv for Cake is making French Opera Cake
- Jenny of The Brunette Baker is making Birthday Cake
- Fanny of Oh Sweet Day is making Chocolate Matcha Cake
- Marie of Food Nouveau is making Lemony Zucchini Cake
- Food Bloggers of Canada is wrapping it all up!
Happy Baking!
xo,
A
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Full disclosure: I received a copy of Layered as compensation for this post. At One Tough Cookie, I occasionally work with quality brands to create recipes I think my readers will enjoy. If you have any questions about the sponsored posts, please don’t hesitate to email me at alanna@toughcookieblog.com.
I don’t bake cakes a lot, preferring to bake smaller things, like cupcakes, but I do have a one cake I bake regularly – a lovely (and simple) bundt cake infused with earl grey tea that my family adores.
Chocolate cake with chocolate swiss buttercream and coffee filling!
The cake you made, and the photos you took, are SO GORGEOUS!!! I wish we could hang out, talk about food blogging and food photography and EAT CAKE. I wanna win this book!!! Love love love. xoxoxo.
I really loved making a chocolate hazelnut meringue cake.. I don’t think I could choose an absolute favorite
My hubby’s birthday is next week, and I may have just found his cake! Gorgeous photos.
My nephew’s birthday cake!
That looks like a real cake! I’m looking forward to trying to replicate it.
A favorite cake that I have made is carrot cake. Very normal, but yet so great.
My favourite is chocolate hazelnut so far!
Forgot to add that my most favorite cake I have made recently is an angel food with layers of whipped cream and fruit in between (raspberries I think) and then drizzled in a raspberry and limoncello syrup.
How gorgeous is this cake? I love the simplicity of most of the elements to this cake and I also love the embellishments. Thyme syrup would be so delish. I think I need this cookbook.
I made an amazing 6 layer chocolate and orange cake with orange buttercream for my daughter’s birthday. I was really proud of it. It was alternating layers of chocolate and orange cake. I think I’ll try it again sometime, but with chocolate ganache on top and buttercream as the filling.
Ps. I am much more of a buttercream fan as well. I only use fondant for accents but to do a whole cake, nope!
My favourite cake I’ve made is a fresh mango cake with mango pudding and fresh mango.
I enjoy making banana cake with banana icing.
The last cake I made was a buttercream chocolate/vanilla checkered cake as a first attempt. Could definitely use a few tips/tricks to improve how it looks but would say it received a passing grade for taste
Thanks for holding this contest! I have a fig tree in my backyard and would love to try and replicate your creation here!
I made a chocolate peanut butter cake. It was not that pretty, but still very tasty!
I totally get the stress associated with having to “fulfill an order”. I’ve been asked so many times to cater for a special event and it just stresses me out. But I love baking to share with others, but it has to be on my terms.
Your cake is absolutely stunning! The photos are out of this world.
I have a family favourite chocolate chip sour creme cake that I can make with my eyes closed.
I’m not much a a cake baker, but my family is fond of Black Forest and carrot cakes.
I just made a cake with fresh peaches – it’s still cooling.. I bet it will be awesome.
One of the favourite cakes I’ve made is a pink vanilla cake with a raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream that I made for my granddaughter’s first birthday — a special cake for a special girl on her special day!
Pig Picken Cake……includes pineapples and mandarin oranges. DELISH
One of my favourite cakes that I made in the past is pistachio n rose cake.
i am a bit (ok, alot) intimidated to attempt a major layer cake, to be honest! I always have good intentions, but always find an excuse… i would love this cookbook to inspire me to make a layer cake!!
i love making chocolate cherry cake!
One of my fav cakes I made was Guiness chocolate cake with a Baileys flavored icing. So good!
Blitz Torte,,, so good!
One of my favourites to make is red velvet with cream cheese frosting!
I love lemon cakes
Beautiful book love your pictures.
Lury
Thank you very much, Lury!
Classic American cheesecake! (minus the canned cherry topping…)
I made a chocolate, caramel, pretzel, diabetic coma inducing masterpiece a couple years ago. It was delicious but meant to be eaten in very small amounts!
I also contemplated a career is baking. Bought a bunch of books on how to open a bakery. Went to George Brown College to complete a Bakery Arts Certificate. But I love baking for myself mostly. Baking to order just didn’t work for me.
Your photos are stunning, as usual!!
Thanks, Julia! And I’m SO happy to see that you’re back at it! Sending lots of love your way!
I’m actually terrible at baking but I am determined to make this my master skill
I am loving these cakes with the “naked” look to them…so rustic yet elegant at the same time. Love the figs….perfect!!
And they make frosting them so much easier! Don’t have to worry so much about those pesky level sides and top 😉
My grandmother’s hazelnut mocha torte.
Stunning cake! I love the combination of flavours in this one. It sounds like a cake for non dessert lovers.
That looks wonderful! Make me think of my childhood… My favourite cakes came from Beebell Bakery (in Edmonton which is now closed).
One of my favourite cakes was a Black Forest Cake I made for my mom.
The honey fig cake 😄😄
You’re too sweet!
I love all of Tessa’s beautiful cakes! One of my favourites I baked was the chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream. Everyone in my family keeps raving about it.
And it’s almost strawberry season! Great idea, Sian!
I love all of these flavours so much, and you’ve captured them so beautifully. As for my favorite cake – well, I hate to pick, but if we’re talking traditional cake, then there’s an orange layered cake we make in our house that’s incredible. And if I can be a little non-traditional, I’ve always had a fondness for an old family recipe (which undoubtedly originated on the back of a box somewhere) called chocolate graham wafer cake. Love it.
Sean — I need to know more about this graham wafer cake immediately!
This looks amazing Alanna! Well done!
Thank you, Renee!
Alanna, this is such a gorgeous cake! It seems so earthy and light. Plus those cut-open figs give me goosebumps they looks so good. *drools*
And for the giveaway, I’m always a huge fan of black forest cake. I’m that gross person who eats cans of cherry pie filling all by myself so you see why I love that cake. 😉
Cassie, thank you for the kind words! And I totally feel you – I’m obsessed with those Luxardo cherries you can get that are sooooooo easy to eat straight from the jar.
Gramma’s Devils Food Cake and Boiled Frosting Icing
Always an excellent birthday treat!
What a gorgeous cake! My favourite one that I’ve made is this Peanut Butter Drip Cake: http://isaynomato.com/chocolate-and-peanut-butter-drip-cake/ I’m a HUGE peanut butter and chocolate fan, and this was just ridiculously delicious!
Cristina, I’ve definitely seen that one being shared on FBC sites! I also LOVE peanut butter, and that cake looks like a dream!
My husband’s Oma’s maple cake – my version is apparently “almost as good!”
Haha, Laura, I’m sure it’s absolutely scrumptious, and every bit as good!
Figs!
I made a lemon chiffon cake that turned out really well, had lemon zest and juice, moist!
Kitty! All my lemon cakes always turn out bizarrely dry. I’ll have to get the recipe from you!
One of my favourite cakes is a chocolate cannoli cheesecake.
Woah, Caitlin, that sounds amazing!
I make a really yummy marble bundt cake with a recipe that is super versatile. It can make a bundt, a slab, even mini-loaves. It always turns out and it’s delicious
I love the look of marbled cakes, and both of my grandmothers make them, but I’ve never ventured forth and tried one myself. Thanks for the inspiration, Ruth!
Q: What’s one of your favourite cakes you’ve made in the past?
A: It is a toss up between some of Tessa Huff’s cake recipes – either the eggnog spice cake or the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Caramelized White Chocolate Frosting! Every time I make one of her cake recipes, it is amazing! And I’ve made a few
She really is a genius, isn’t she? Thanks for your comment, Christine; those sound diviiiine!
I can’t say that I’ve ever had the notion of becoming a wedding cake baker — that seems far too intimidating to me! I mean, brides can get a little scary sometimes… haha. Good on you for deciding what was right for you. Lovely review and beautiful photos, as always!
This cake looks divine, and I love that it’s such a simple one to make.
Thanks, Amanda! It was a really lovely addition to a Sunday brunch with friends; I highly recommend it!
I’m always looking for healthier cake frostings and it never even occurred to just use thickened yoghurt and honey, how cool is that? I also had a harrowing experience making my friend’s 3-tiered wedding cake and then driving it to her wedding in an old pick-up truck with bad suspension on some really gritty dirt roads. Almost gave me a heart attack. That was the last wedding cake. Your photos and the cake are stunning! My favourite cake to make is in a similar vein: honey lemon polenta cake, but I’m dying to try this one!
Aube, you’re right — in many ways, the transportation of the cake is the primary source of stress and chaos. I wonder if even the professionals ever get used to it! And I’d never had much luck with yoghurt frosting before either — tried a recipe once from Food52 which mixed it with cream that I wasn’t crazy about. But this one is really delicious!
The cake looks amazing and who knew you can make frosting out of thickened yogurt and honey! I’m with you on the pleasure of layer cakes but just the thought of making it for someone’s wedding will give me nightmares. I did make my own, which I’m sure I told you, but I knew that our immediate families would be forgiving if it wasn’t perfect. Congrats on the move and good to see you back here
What area are you in now?
Sofia, I can’t imagine the chutzpah it would take to make your own wedding cake! I would be totally terrified. Glad it turned out well for you, though! And I’m back in the west end, downtown, and could not be more thrilled about it!
Congrats on appeasing whatever ghosts may dwell in your new place with the aromas of such an offering! I have no doubt the taste fulfills the expectations set up by your gorgeous images.
I was really pleased with how the photos turned out, too! And the ghosts seem to have gladly accepted the offering,