Turkish Sesame and Fig Cake Recipe

Turkish Sesame and Fig Cake is a simple, mildly sweet cake that gets most of its flavor from a lime glaze that is applied right when the cake is taken out of the oven. Try it with this recipe for Turkish Coffee.

Recommended Equipment:
mixer
9 inch square cake pan

Ingredients:
5 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup confection sugar
2/3 cup semolina
zest of 1 lime
1 cup ground almonds (optional)
1 1/3 cups dried figs, chopped
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Ingredients - syrup:
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup confection sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a deep 9 inch square cake pan.
3. Using a mixer, whisk the egg yolks, lime zest, and sugar together.
4. Next, mix in the almonds and semolina.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks develop. Then slowly add the egg whites to the egg yolk and almond mixture.
6. Pour the cake batter evenly into the cake pan.
7. Sprinkle the chopped figs evenly across the top of the cake batter. Then sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly across the top of the cake.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
9. While the cake bakes you can make the syrup. In a saucepan, add the lime juice, confection sugar, and 5 tbsp. cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes or until syrupy and remove from heat.
10. Remove the cake from the oven and poke small holes into the top of the cake using a fork.
11. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the cake.
12. Let cool and then cut the cake into squares and serve.

Turkey