Fig & Black Pepper Almond Cake with Fresh Tamarind Glaze (GF)

This is definitely a cake with a personality. Ripe figs are tossed with black pepper and caramelize while baking; the pepper kicks in to remind you it's there in the aftertaste of all the sweet. Tangy tamarind paste is sweetened to a glaze and soaks into the figs and almond cake for another sweet and savory bite. Thanks to award-winning Chef Nik Sharma of A Brown Table for this masterful blending of traditional Indian flavors with classic yellow cake.

My Paleo Marin Rating: 5 Persimmons*

Ingredients:

For the Tamarind Paste:

10 oz. tamarind fruit pulp from 15-20 large pods, or from a compressed block (I used 2 packages of tamarind pods from the Cardenas Market (google here for a store near you) or order pods online here (2 packages)
(Note: already-prepared Neera's Tamarind Paste can also be used)

1 1/2 cups boiling water

For the Tamarind Glaze:

4 tablespoons tamarind paste
1/2 cup pure cane sugar
(Note: Sugar has been reduced by one fourth from the original recipe; adjust for personal preference)
2 teaspoons olive oil

For the Cake:

10 - 12 fresh ripe black figs, top stems cut off, sliced in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon pure cane sugar
(Note: Sugar is reduced by half from the original recipe; adjust for personal preference)

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled down, plus more for greasing the baking dish
3/4 cup pure cane sugar
(Note: Sugar is reduced by half from the original recipe; adjust for personal preference)
3 large eggs, chilled
1 cup (240ml) full fat Greek yogurt, or 5% yogurt drained for several hours
(Note: For non-dairy, use Kite Hill brand here)
1 teaspoon almond extract, preferably Simply Organic Almond Extract Brand

2 cups blanched and super finely ground almond flour, such as King Arthur brand
1 cup gluten free flour, preferably Cup4Cup Gluten Free Mulipurpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

For the Tamarind Paste:

1. Weigh the fruit pulp on a food scale for an accurate measurement.  Place the pulp in a medium bowl and add the boiling water. Cover with foil and let sit for about 45 minutes.

2. Remove the cover and use your fingers to break up the pods to mix with the water. Remove as many seeds as possible. Stir with a fork. Press the pulp through a fine sieve and add the strained pulp to a small container. Makes about 1/2 cup of paste. Store extra in fridge and use for curries, soups, etc.

For the Tamarind Glaze:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the tamarind paste, sugar and oil. Set aside.

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lightly butter a 9" x 13" baking dish.

1. In a medium bowl, toss the prepared figs with the freshly cracked pepper and olive oil. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, and yogurt. Whisk in the almond extract.

3. Into a large mixing bowl, sift together the all purpose and almond flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift again.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Fold over from front to back with a rubber spatula until all ingredients are blended together.

5. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish, smoothing it out with an offset spatula. Arrange the prepared figs in rows vertically and horizontally to cover the top of the cake, leaving some distance between figs (see photo).

6. Bake the cake for about 1 hour, turning it around 1/2 way through. The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean and the figs have slightly caramelized. If it's browning too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of foil.

7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Add a dollop of tamarind glaze on top of each fig. Add more when the cake is served. Refrigerate any extra cake for up to 3 days.

Tamarind Paste recipe from Nik Sharma in NYT recipe here. Cake recipe adapted from Nik Sharma in the NYT recipe here.

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*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.