Date Fig Cake with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese Spread

When I think of Sukkot, I think of the fulness of God's promises,
the ingathering of the beloved ones, and the inexpressible joy we have in His presence. It is my absolute favorite holiday foreshadowing the end time harvest of souls, the salvation of Israel and the nations, and the sheltering of the redeemed in the presence of Yeshua. Oh, how I love this holiday! (see Revelation 7 for more of what I am talking about).

One of my favorite parts of Sukkot is having Ushpizin, or honored guests come into our sukkah. There, in the cool of night, with the twinkle lights and hand made decorations, we shev (sit/ dwell) together in unity as it is commanded, and rejoice, laugh, feast and fellowship- enjoying the presence of our LORD and strengthening the close relationships we have with one another. 

I love to cook, and I love to entertain. I don't think that's any secret. Something else that I love is creating new culinary expressions of traditional flavors, taking classics to a new and refined level. Earlier last week, I had an inspiration to make a cake infused with the flavors of date and fig, reminiscent of the seven species promised to Israel (Deuteronomy 8:8). 

This cake is one that incorporates 3 of the seven species of Israel, featuring dates, figs, and wheat. It also incorporates warm feel good spices that are a *must* for the autumn season. The spread is both savory and sweet and adds an unexpected twang from the goat cheese, taking this from an yummy spicy cake to an international delight.  The goat cheese and honey also are reminiscent of the promise of the land flowing with "milk and honey."

I purchased my unique ingredients at my local Asian grocery store that also sells middle eastern foods.

Ingredients:      

4 eggs   
2 1/2 cups of fig preserves
1 cup of coconut oil, or softened butter

2 cups of date syrup

3 cups of bread flour

1 tbspn of baking soda

2 tbspns heavy cream

1 tbspn apple cider vinegar

1 tbspn of vanilla extract

1 tbspn cinnamon

1 tspn ground cloves

1 tspn ground anise

1 tbspn of kosher salt 

*Optional 1/4 tspn ground cardamom

Directions:

1) Beat eggs lightly; add fig preserves, coconut oil and date syrup. 

2) Sift flour and soda into the mixture. Mix well.

3) Add heavy cream and apple cider vinegar. Mix until incorporated. 

4) Add the spices: cinnamon, ground cloves, anise, and kosher salt. 

5) Grease and flour your pans. Pour into a bundt pan, or 3 loaf pans. I put 2/3 of the mixture in a bundt pan and 1/3 of the mixture into a loaf pan. Honestly, I just wanted to taste it before tonight's guests came over. ;)

6) Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 mins to 1 hour or until golden brown. 

For the Honey Goat Cheese Spread:

1 package of goat cheese

12 oz of softened cream cheese

1 stick of softened butter

1/ 2 cup of honey

Whip it together in the kitchen aid till it is light and fluffy, sweet and delicious.  

Serve with a dollop of whipped honey spread and garnish with dates, figs or fresh herbs.  Drizzle a light portion of honey over the plate and enjoy! :)