This fluffy, moist, and tender Classic White Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Fresh Figs could make a show-stopping centrepiece for a birthday, afternoon tea or any special occasion.
While brainstorming for my next summer cake recipe, the first thing that came to mind was fresh figs. These summertime stunners are in season and my parents’ fig tree produced a bounty of this beautiful “fruit” with that sweet, honeyed taste and a soft, squishy texture. Pairing it with this classic white cake and cream cheese frosting combo, as a base, was a match made in heaven, both aesthetically and flavorwise. [ The white cake sponge is ever-so-slightly tweaked version of Liz’s White Cake Recipe. ♡ ]
INGREDIENTS
Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large egg whites, room temp
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (or cake flour)
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk, room temp
- ¼ cups vegetable oil
Frosting
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup cream cheese, room temp
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Garnish
- walnuts, chopped
- fresh figs, sliced
- fresh rosemary sprigs, optional
- drizzles of honey, optional
Figs are technically not a fruit – they are actually a group of tiny inverted flowers growing inside an edible shell.
METHOD
Cake
- Preheat oven to 335°F and line the bottom of two 8”x2” cake pans with parchment paper + grease the pans with butter as well.
- In a medium bowl, combine milk, vegetable oil and pure vanilla extract and set aside.
- Separately, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside as well.
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until white and fluffy.
- After approximately 5 minutes start mixing on low, adding egg whites one at a time (roughly) to the butter mixture until well combined.
- Start adding your dry and wet ingredients little by little to the egg+butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans and bake at 335°F for 25-35 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely and trim off the brown edges before frosting.
Frosting
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a wire attachment, whisk the cream on high speed.
- Add cream cheese and mix until well incorporated.
- Add pure vanilla extract into the mixture.
After frosting the cake, top it with fresh figs cut into halves and quarters and sprinkle with some chopped walnuts. I added a couple of rosemary sprigs as well.
Enjoy!
This cake recipe can easily be made into cupcakes. Just use paper cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes at 325°F for 12-18 minutes.
If you’ve made this Classic White Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Fresh Figs recipe don’t forget to let me know how you got on in the comments below!
