Late summer droops like the slopes of so many purple, green, and yellow figs. I remember reading a book in 6th grade (11 years old) about a young boy in ancient Egypt who embarked on a terrifying adventure through a Pharaoh-dictated city, trying to find and then hide (I think?) a golden vase. Besides the very heat that radiated off the pages that described day after day in the desert, the one thing that stuck bizarrely in my mind from that book was a phrase about figs and how they were the fruit of the divine – something so sweet and sumptuous they were only good enough for the gods. Let me tell you, I certainly felt like royalty walking away from the farmers market last weekend, carefully balancing two bags overflowing with the tear-drop fruits. Thanks are due to the gentlemen of one of the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market booths – who I’ve completely forgotten the name of and will note it next time I’m there to update this!
I’m always up for any type of fig – Black mission, Brown turkey, Kadota, Adriatic, and so many other gorgeous varieties that I hope to try when traveling is responsible and safe again (stay inside and bake!). At least there are dozens of local farms in the Bay Area that share their August and September bounty with us city folk, and now is as good a time as any to support them and all farm workers who are keeping this country alive right now and always. I got lucky enough to find a farm stand that sported basket after basket of these absolutely adorable candy stripe figs (honestly, what is cuter than these little guys?), and loads of the classic black mission figs. Both are delicious, and so different. Biting into a ripe candy stripe fig is like eating a spoonful of the sunniest, juiciest raspberry jam, with a bright crimson color to boot. The black mission fig is humbler but sultry with a deep hue and soft summer flavor. Both happen to be just perfect for pureeing into the buttercream for these cupcakes, and for decorating them for an even more summery presentation.
I’ve dabbled in flavoring honey before – with thyme, star anise, lavender, even fresh strawberries or lychee. But my favorite combination with figs is rosemary honey, and that’s exactly what I wanted to capture in these cupcakes. The cupcake itself is moist and light, leaning on extra blanched almond flour and sour cream, and of course, flavored with the rosemary honey. The buttercream boasts subtle fig alongside the rosemary and honey notes. They’re by far my favorite cupcake of August (we make a lot of cupcakes so this is a hard decision), and ones I absolutely recommend making. They sound fancy schmancy and difficult, but I promise if you go step by step you’ll be munching on your very own decadent creation in no time. If you love this combo as much as I do, try leveling up to this ricotta fig and rosemary honey tart, or try another floral combo in our pistachio raspberry rose cupcakes! If you’re trying to preserve the last of the summer stone fruit, try our peaches and cream cupcakes or this peach and plumb crumble.
Gluten Free Fig and Rosemary Honey Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake pans
- Small saucepan
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
For the rosemary honey:
- 3/4 Cup honey
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
For the cupcakes:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 Cup canola oil
- 1 Cup sour cream
- 3/4 Cup white sugar
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1/3 Cup rosemary honey instructions below
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum (if your mix does not contain xanthan gum add 1 tsp now)
- 2 Cup packed blanched almond flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the buttercream:
- 1 Cup mascarpone
- 2 Cups salted butter room temperature
- 1/4 Cup rosemary honey instructions below
- 4-5 Cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 Cup fig puree instructions below
- extra fresh figs for decoration
Instructions
- First, make your rosemary honey. Pour the honey and the sprigs of fresh rosemary into a small saucepan and heat of medium low heat until thinner and simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes then pour into a container or small bowl and let cool completely (with the rosemary still in the honey to steep).
- Once the honey is cool, make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two 12-cupcake pans with paper cupcake cups. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry cupcake ingredients (flour, almond flour/meal, baking soda, baking powder, salt), then set aside. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs, oil, sour cream, cooled rosemary honey, milk, sugar, vanilla) until combined. Pour the whisked dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir together until smooth. Spoon the batter into each of the cupcake cups – they should be about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the buttercream! Puree a few figs in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Then, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat your room temperature butter, mascarpone, and vanilla extract for 2-3 minutes until creamy and lighter. Add 2 cups of the sifted powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the pureed figs and continue to beat until creamy. Continue adding more of the powdered sugar until combined, and add more if the frosting is too thin. Scoop buttercream into a pastry bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes, then top with sliced extra figs then serve!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cupcakes!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
