Fig and walnut cake, gluten free

This is the the very best cake from my childhood. Combined with the creme anglaise type of icing, it has a unique flavor that etches in your brain. Because it is a soufflés like cake, it was very easy to adopt to be gluten free. Also note the lack of butter in the cake, and a limited amount of sugar used. I find it hard to believe how good this cake is despite of the lack of the usual taste enhancers.

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs, separated
• 5 TBS sugar split into 2 TBS and 3 TBS
• 4 TBS potato starch
• 5 1/2 oz coarsely chopped walnuts (150g)
• 3.5 oz raisins soaked in rum or water (100g) 
• 3.5 oz chopped dry figs soaked in rum or water - use kitchen sheers (100g)
• 2 TBS vegetable oil or walnut oil, or melted butter

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400F (200 C)
• Use kitchen sheers to chop figs into small bits
• In a small bowl, combine raisins and figs, add some rum and/or water so that the dried fruit plumps up
• Mix 2 TBS of sugar with vegetable oil. The sugar will dissolve.
• Make meringue from egg whites and 3 TBS sugar
• Optionally add a pinch of creme of tartar to the egg whites
• Beat egg whites until they are starting to stiffen
• Sprinkle the 3 TBS sugar over the egg whites
• Continue beating until stiff and shiny. 
• Prepare a spring baking pan. 10 inch works well, 8 inch will give you a taller cake but you have to be careful not to under-bake, because the batter will be thicker.
• Lightly oil the bottom and the sides of the pan
• Line the pan with parchment paper
• Sift the potato starch over the meringue and fold carefully.
• Drain the liquid from the dry fruit.
• Add dry fruit, nuts, and sugar-oil mixture to the meringue.
• Fold carefully.
• Transfer the batter to the baking pan.
• Bake at 400F for 5 minutes
• Reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes - if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Cool on a rack, spread with icing of your choice, chill, and eat.

Icing suggestions

• Pastry cream
• Ingredients
• 3-6 egg yolks (use 5-6 for a richer pastry creme)
• 1 whole egg (optional if you use 5-6 egg yolks)
• 5-6 TBS sugar (3 TBS per cup of milk)
• a pinch of salt
• 2.5 - 3 TBS corn starch or potato starch. I prefer potato starch because it handles higher heat than corn starch.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2-3 TBS lemon juice, and/or other flavoring agents
• 2 cups milk
• 2-3 TBS butter
• Method:
• Heat milk on medium heat in a pan - I use a ceramic wok, it works well for whisking needed later
• While the milk is heating, mix other ingredients except butter in a heat-safe bowl. Make sure there are no starch lumps left.
• When the milk starts to bubble, turn the heat off.
• Temper the egg mixture with half the milk - drizzle the hot milk into the bowl while whisking continuously.
• Add the egg mixture to the pan with the milk.
• While whisking continuously, bring the mixture to the boil.
• When the first bubbles show, turn the heat down and boil and whisk for another 2 minutes to cook the starch fully. It is important that the mixture is at or close to gentle boil, otherwise the starch will not do its job.
• Turn the heat off and mix in the butter and vanilla.
• Transfer the cream to a bowl and immediately cover the cream with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the top of the cream. This is to prevent a film from forming.
• Let the cream cool down to the room temperature, then put it in the fridge for a few hours to cool down completely. 

• Creme anglaise and butter
• Use any recipe you like to make creme anglaise. Then keep stirring it until it cools to the room temperature. Whisk in cold unsalted butter - up to 2 sticks if you want the icing to nicely harden.
• You can also spoon creme anglaise over the cake.
• This is what I do:
• Whip 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar until pale and ribbons form.
• Slowly whisk in 3/4 cup of boiling milk
• Cook in a double boiler until it thickens - the back of a spoon will be coated
• Stir to cool to the room temperature. A cold water bath speeds this up. 
• If creme anglaise is too warm, the butter will melt and the icing will have a hard time to harden.
• Whisk in cold unsalted butter. A stick is enough, two will yield a very hardened icing.

• Whipped cream
• Whip some heavy cream and a little sugar, 1 TBS suffices.
• Add a splash of grand mariner, or a coffee liquer, or rum for extra flavor

• Bavarian
• Make creme anglaise (see the recipe above)
• Add 1 pouch of gelatine mixed into 1Tbs of boiling water.  
• Add 1/2-1 cup of heavy cream whipped with 1Tbs of sugar. If desired, add additional flavoring such  as 1 tsp of rum extract, reduction of 1 cup of wine (reduce to about 2Tbs), vanilla extract,... 
• Mix well and refrigerate until set. 
• Spread on the cake. 
• The more cream you use, the lighter and softer the icing is. Because of gelatine, Bavarian does not melt down if the cake is left in a warm place for a while.

• Coffee icing
• 4 oz softened unsalted butter
• 4 oz icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 TB instant coffe
• 2 TB boiling water
• Cream  the butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water.
• Mix together. Chill for a while if needed, but watch that it does not harden. 
• Spread over the cake and let cool.

• Chocolate mousse:
• 1 cup whipping cream (250 ml)
• 2oz dark chocolate (40-50g)
• Sugar to taste - 1 TBS for me
• Whip the cream and the sugar, melt the chocolate. 
• Temper the chocolate with a spoon or two of cream, fold melted chocolate into the cream. Spread over cake, cool.