My almond fig cake made with Black Mission figs is a lovely, not too sweet coffee cake in the Mediterranean tradition that’s great for breakfast, snacking, or dessert.
almond fig cake is a Mediterranean style coffee cake
Perfect for late summer into fall, or whenever you happen to find fresh figs, which could be any time between June and October. When it comes to fresh figs, she who hesitates is lost ~ you might not see them a second time! Fresh figs are a delicacy that should never be passed up, so this easy almond fig cake recipe is a great one to have in your repertoire. Make it for friends, neighbors, office mates, or just for yourself ~ it stays moist for days.
where to find fresh figs
In season you might find figs at a local farmers market. Gourmet or specialty food stores carry them, check Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Very large food chains like Costco and Walmart carry them as well.
what you’ll need for an almond fig cake
- fresh figs
- fresh figs of any variety. I don’t recommend using dried figs for this cake.
- Black Mission are my favorites, they have a deep dark purple skin and a stunning blush interior. The flavor is the best of all the figs, so keep an eye out for them.
- Kadota figs have bright green skins and pretty deep pink interiors.
- Brown Turkey have brownish purple skins with pin interiors.
- Calimyrna are pale green with rust colored flesh.
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- almond flour
- almond flour tenderizes the cake, adds flavor, and moisture.
- sour cream
- sour cream makes baked goods extra moist.
- cardamom
- cardamom gives an unexpected soft warmth to the cake. You can substitute cinnamon. If you do use cinnamon I recommend using vanilla extract instead of almond extract.
- almond extract
- baking powder and salt
what to expect
The cake is a European style cake, meaning it’s not too sweet, and is perfect for breakfast, day time snacking, and afternoon tea. It has a nice, soft texture (thanks almond flour and sour cream!) and stays nice and moist. If you want to serve it as a simple dessert, you might pair with whipped cream, creme fraiche, or heavy cream whipped with some softened mascarpone for a luxe topping. Whipped yogurt is another alternative.
how to store this cake
I store mine under my glass cake dome on the counter. You can cover with foil, but I don’t recommend plastic wrap as it can make the cake soggy.
fig cake variations
Go a step further with the almond theme and sprinkle sliced almonds over the top of the cake before embedding your figs.
Other fruits to try while you’re waiting for fresh fig season: small plums or pears, rhubarb, or berries like strawberries or blackberries.
For a nut free cake omit the almond flour and use all regular flour. You can sub vanilla extract for the almond extract as well.
Use whole milk yogurt or ricotta in place of the sour cream.
For a gluten free cake replace the all purpose flour with a good gf baking mix. I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour’s products.
Cardamom gives this cake a wonderful unique flavor, but feel free to use cinnamon, or leave out the spice.
if you love almond fig cake I bet you’ll also love these
- Easy Rhubarb Breakfast Cake
- Swedish Visiting Cake
- Dorie Greenspan’s Dimply Plum Cake
- Easy Spiced Peach Bread
- Ricotta Plum Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Raspberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream
- Fresh Ginger and Pear Cake
Almond Fig Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on surface of cake before baking.
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream (you can substitute full fat yogurt)
- 12 ripe figs, sliced in half. Note: you may need more or less to fill the surface of your cake, depending on size of your fruit.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch spring form pan and place a round of parchment on the bottom.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. I do this in a stand mixer, but you can use electric beaters, or do it by hand if you prefer.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Blend in the almond extract and cardamom.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the all purpose and almond flours with the baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low, add the flours to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until well combined, but don't over beat.
- When using a stand mixer I like to give the batter a final stir by hand to make sure everything is evenly incorporated. Spread the batter into your prepared pan.
- Arrange the fig halves, cut side up, on top of the batter, pushing them gently into the batter just a bit. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar evenly over the surface.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until puffed and golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out without wet batter on it (moist crumbs are fine.) I loosely tent the cake toward the end of baking if it seems to be browning too much.
- I like to run a thin offset spatula around the edges to loosen the cake (any stray fig juices can get sticky) and then remove the springform sides of the pan about 5-10 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven.
- Let cool before slicing.
This was amazing! Everyone in my house enjoyed it!
This cake is a great stand alone cake. I also used it ontop of rhubarb as a cobbler…devine