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Fig and Raisin Filling
Chop equal quantities of figs and seeded raisins. Boil in as little water as possible until figs are tender, adding a little sugar. Spread between layers of plain cake and frost the top decorating it with a border of the chopped fruit.
A dried-fruit paste of the sort that filled layer cakes before jam and custard fillings took over. The proportions are left entirely to the cook, so a few numbers help.
- Working quantitiesFor a standard two- or three-layer 8- or 9-inch cake, 6 oz dried figs and 6 oz raisins by weight, with about 1/3 cup water and 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, gives enough filling with a little left for the border. Weigh rather than measure by volume, since chopped fruit packs unevenly.
- "Seeded raisins"Raisins of this period were commonly sold from seeded varieties, and removing the seeds was a kitchen chore. Modern seedless raisins need no preparation; sultanas or golden raisins work equally well.
- Figs need trimmingCut off the hard stem knob from each dried fig before chopping. Calimyrna figs are firmer and sweeter, Mission figs darker and jammier; either is fine, but soak very leathery figs in hot water for 15 minutes first.
- "As little water as possible" is the hingeThe filling must reduce to a thick, spreadable paste that holds its shape. Too much water and it soaks into the crumb and slides the layers apart. Simmer covered, stirring, roughly 10 to 15 minutes, and if it still looks loose keep the lid off until a spoon drawn through leaves a clear track.
- ChoppingChop by hand for the border, where distinct pieces are wanted. The filling itself can be pulsed in a food processor after cooking, but stop short of a purée or it becomes gluey.
- Acid and spiceDried figs and raisins together are very sweet. A tablespoon of lemon juice stirred in off the heat, and a pinch of cinnamon or grated orange zest, sharpen the flavour without departing from the period.
- Cooling before useSpread the filling only when it is at room temperature. Warm fruit paste melts a butter frosting and will weep into the cake.
- Frosting for the topThe recipe does not specify a frosting. A simple glaze of about 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons water or milk sets firmly enough to hold the chopped-fruit border.
Fillings like this belong to the era when a layer cake was assembled from whatever the pantry held, and dried fruit kept year round. Figs and raisins were both imported staples — figs largely from Smyrna and, increasingly, from California, whose fig and raisin industries were expanding rapidly in the decades around 1900 — and both were cheap enough to use generously. The Butterick Publishing Company, better known for dress patterns and The Delineator, issued cookbooks aimed at the same practical housekeeper; the instruction is compressed, assuming the reader already knows how to bake plain layers and boil a frosting. The decorative border of reserved chopped fruit is a small piece of period style.