One of my all-time favorite chefs is Amy Chaplin. She has two cookbooks, the second of which is a “how-to” where I learned so many of my “clean” baking skills. In that book, she has an almond cake with fig and fennel seeds. I’ve switched it up to be vegan and swapped the fennel for a lemon-honey drizzle.
Scrumptious!
Why You Should Make Fig Almond Cake
I mean, are you seeing the gorgeousness of this cake?? Okay, if you’re more “substance” than “style,” I’ll give you the skinny:
- It looks elegant but is so easy to make
- It’s light and airy – a perfect late summer dessert
- Figs are only around a short time each year!
- Almond extract is absolutely divine…need I say more??
Tips for Making Fig Almond Cake
It’s the Figs
If you want an amazing cake, you need to start with amazing ingredients. Only fresh, ripe (but not overripe) figs will do. If you have overripe figs, that’s when you should make a compote! This will work with either the dark purple or light green/pink figs, but I find the darker ones make a more striking contrast against the cake.
Don’t Skip the Almond Extract!
You may think, “I don’t have almond extract…is it worth it?” And the answer is a resounding “YES!!” Now, you could make this cake without it and it would be a decent vanilla cake. But believe me when I tell you that the almond extract just gives it that extra “wow” factor flavor that kicks it up a notch.
Versatility Is Key
Another great thing about this cake – yes, there’s more! – is that you can make it into many shapes or sizes. Fancy mini loaves? Just decrease the baking time. Want a round cake? 9-inch is perfect. Prefer cupcakes? Have at it (and bake only 15-20 mins)! You can make this your own. Oh, and a dollop of coconut whipped cream or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream can never hurt 😉.
Et voilà! You have found your new favorite late-summer treat! Now go out and make it before the figs are all gone!!
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Fig Almond Cake With Lemon-Honey Drizzle
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
The bounty of summer figs BEGS for them to be used in every way possible! This cake is an excellent way to showcase their beauty (and it’s pretty tasty, too 😉). To make this super simple, you can omit the optional honey-lemon glaze. The cake is so fabulous on its own, you may not even miss it.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 flax eggs (see note)
- ½ cup 100% pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 TB vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 8–10 ripe figs, stemmed and halved lengthwise
Honey Lemon Drizzle (optional) Ingredients
- 2 TB honey
- 2 TB lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- water to get to desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees and line a 9-inch cake or tart pan OR a 13 x 4-inch rectangular pan with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients (almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, salt). In another bowl, whisk wet ingredients (flax eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and almond extracts). Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.
- Pour into the prepared pan and top with figs, artfully arranged, cut side up. Bake for 35-ish minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- If using the drizzle, whisk honey and lemon juice and add enough water so that it becomes drizzle-worthy while the cake is baking. Set aside.
- Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. When ready to serve, drizzle each slice with a bit of the honey-lemon mixture. This cake is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
For 2 flax eggs, combine 2 TB flax meal with 6 TB warm or hot water, stir, and allow to sit 5-10 mins to gel. If you do not have issues with chicken eggs, you could use 2 chicken eggs in place of the flax eggs.