Chia Spiced Cake with Maple Buttercream, Figs and Berries
Warm chia spiced 9″ two layer cake is frosted with maple buttercream and garnished with fresh figs, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
You will need 2-9″ round cake pans, parchment paper to line the pans, chia spices, fresh berries & figs, maple syrup or extract.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + chill time before frosting
- Cook Time: 23-28 minutes
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 2" x 2" serving slice 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Chia Spiced Cake
1-15.25 ounce Vanilla Cake Mix-tested Duncan Hines
1 package vanilla instant pudding and pie dry mix
3 eggs
1 cup water
1 teaspoon maple and vanilla extracts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves or all spice, coriander, cardamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons each pure vanilla and maple syrup or extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Cake Garnish
3-5 fresh figs, no blemishes, washed and dried, sliced in half
1 pint each, organic blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
7-10 mint leaves
2 teaspoons apricot jam, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 2-9″ round baking pans with cooking or baking spray. Cut parchment rounds to fit into bottom of cake pans, spray each parchment round once in the pan. Set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine all chia cake ingredients, beat on medium speed 2 minutes or until well combined.
- Divide batter evenly between the two 9″ cake pans. Bake on middle rack in preheated oven for 23-28 minutes. Remove from oven, release sides of cake with a knife if necessary, invert onto cooling rack. Cool to touch, individually wrap and freeze cakes, while you make the buttercream.
Making the Maple Cream Cheese Buttercream
1.In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy about 5 minutes. Turn mixer to low, add confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, beating well between additions. Add vanilla and maple extract or maple syrup. Mix 30 seconds.
Assembly
1.Remove frozen cakes, unwrap and do a skim coat of buttercream on each cake individually. Return to freezer to chill 20 minutes.
2. On a 9″ cake board or serving flat plate, put a small dollop of frosting on board to hold cake layer in place. Place one cake layer bottom side up, frost with buttercream, spread 1/4 to 3/8″ thick. Add top cake bottom side of cake on top of frosted layer.
3. Frost top and sides of cake with buttercream, using an off set spatula, smooth sides and top of cake. Dip spatula under warm water and dry off to warm the spatula to create a smooth top and sides of cake. On the top of the cake, use the back of a spoon to create a spiral well around the top of cake for cake design.
4. Garnish the cake with fresh figs, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, inserting mint leaves to balance the look of berries and colors. Split some blackberries in half to attach to sides of cake around bottom edge. No need to pipe any buttercream. Keep cake loosely covered with plastic wrap and chilled until serving time.
5. Serve at room temperature with fig slice and the three berries on top of each slice. Store in air tight container in refrigerator.
Notes
Cake can be made ahead up to two weeks, wrapped and frozen until needed. Buttercream can be made a day ahead, store in refrigerator, bring to room temperature before frosting. Garnish cake right before serving.
