I shared this fig cake way back in 2008, so it’s been 10 years since I shared it with all of you and I thought it was time to share again. And I took a lot better pics this time around so you can see it much better.
Dad and mom have fig trees in their yard that produce many figs and they are getting ripe right now and ready to use. You have to use figs right away, they sure don’t last long. I got this fig cake recipe when I was living in AL from a family member over there and it’s still a good one to share.
Ripe and ready to use figs!
Chopped figs ready for fig cake.
Mixing together the batter is really easy and then you fold in the figs.
And here’s that beautiful fig cake. It’s baked in a Bundt cake pan and this one has nutmeg and cinnamon, so has nice flavors and the icing really makes it. I had to modify the icing this time, because I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I used confectioners sugar instead of sugar and didn’t use as much buttermilk, but added half and half. It came out nice!
As I said 10 years ago, I did not expect that I would like fig cake. Boy, was I wrong. This stuff is SO delicious, you will want to lick the plate. I’m glad it found its way to us and now I’m sharing it with all of you.
Fig Cake
Use fresh figs or fig preserves for this delicious fresh fig cake.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup buttermilk not non-fat
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmet
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups chopped figs
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
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Mix dry ingredients in bowl, stir and add wet ingredients, fold in pecans and figs. Pour into greased & floured Bundt pan. Preheat oven and Bake at 350* for approx. 30 -35 min. Check for done-ness with toothpick. Mine wasn't done after 30 mins. so I left it in about 5-10 more minutes.
Buttermilk Glaze
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1/2 (one-half) cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 TBL light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil and cook 3 min. Allow glaze to cool before drizzling over cake. use toothpick to poke holes in cake, so glaze can go down into it.
If you can’t see the above printable version, I left the original below for copying.
I did a couple of modifications, I didn’t have cloves, so I left those out. On the icing, I used a little buttermilk, half and half, not as much butter as called for, confectioners sugar and vanilla. I added a little corn starch to thicken and whisk it on the stove until boiling, then let it cool before pouring over the cake. I think the Glaze as it is makes a little bit too much, so modify to your liking!
Fig Cake
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (do not use non-fat)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 cups sugar (I cut the sugar down slightly)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 & 1/3 to 1 & 1/2 cups chopped figs (don’t crush them, but gently chop with knife or fig preserves will work too)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, fold in pecans and figs. Pour into greased & floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350* for approx. 30 -35 min. Check for done-ness with toothpick. Mine wasn’t done after 30 mins. so I left it in about 5-10 more minutes.
Buttermilk Glaze
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 TBL light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil in saucepan and cook 3 min. Allow glaze to cool before drizzling over cake. use toothpick to poke holes in cake, so glaze can go down into it.
Linking up to Christy’s Southern Plate Meal Plan Monday.
This cake was baked by a friend, for my birthday . This was the best birthday cake I ever had! She picked the figs right off her tree in her back yard. This cake tasted more moist, each day it aged. I took some cake home, to share with my Dad. He loved every bite!
Good afternoon from Augusta, Georgia. I have a Fig Tree in my back yard and love to make preserves, cakes and other delicacies with my figs. I am also looking for cakes and desserts that I can bake and freeze for either gifts or to enjoy later. This cake sounds and looks delicious. Do you think that I could bake it and wrap it well when it cools and freeze it for later–just let it thaw at room temperature and slice when someone wants a piece? Thanks so much. I hope to make this yummy sounding cake soon!!!!
HI, Pat, thanks for stopping by! I think this cake would freeze well, it’s very moist and the icing is delicious. I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze and thaw. It’s a good one!
I am really enjoying the cake. I think I did something wrong with the glaze. I let it cool and the butter separated. I mixed together, but never thickened. Spooned it onto the cake and only used half. What went wrong?
Hi, Terry, I’m not sure but it seems to be easy to do the glaze so maybe try again another time.
Terry I made it last night, and the same result. I will make the cake again, but never that icing. It was ridiculously sweet, and the cake didn’t need it. IMHO.
Do you use self-rising flour in this cake?
I think it’s all purpose flour if it doesn’t say self rising.
It is a memorably delicious cake, although it is so dense it’s more like an autumn banana bread. I think the recipe needs a few teaspoons of baking powder to lighten it up. The cake is also far, far too sweet with the added icing. In fact the cake would be fine with just 1c of sugar in the batter, and omit the sugary buttermilk icing altogether.
Oh the buttermilk icing is my fave!
Cake is excellent! Followed the recipe exactly and turned out beautifully. Does it need to be stored in the refrigerator?
I think it would be good to put in fridge especially in summer weather. We always do and then I sometimes heat in microwave for 15 sec. when I slice it cold.
In July a friend was gifted a huge amount of figs from another friend and didn’t know what to do with them all beyond making her own jam and preserves. I did a quick search and found your fig cake recipe. I took some of her figs home and made the cake that night. So quick and easy! Served it the next day back at my friends house to our weekly Bible Study group. SMASH HIT! Requests for more, so I told them I’d make another when my figs came in in August. Well, we ended up postponing more meetings until fall. But I made another cake and gave it to the first friend mentioned. Then another in the group called and asked me for a fig cake. I made two for her! Making another today for my family, nd putting chopped figs in the freezer to make more cakes this winter! This cake is wonderful! Aromatic and delicious! A big hit with everyone! So glad I found your blog!
Thank you for letting me know! That is a great fig cake recipe for sure.
Ok. I have figs at the ready. But no buttermilk. I can substitute in whole milk with yogurt or acidified whole milk in the cake but I’m worried about what would happen if I use either of these in the glaze. Do you think they will separate out. Or can I sub just whole milk? Any ideas?
HI, Bonny, I’m not sure but I think you could use the sub in the glaze, I’m not an expert baker so don’t hold me to it, but I would try it.
You can make buttermilk by mixing 1 teaspoon white vinegar in 1 cup whole milk. Before using, let it sit about 10 minutes to develop flavor.
I cannot wait for my neighbors figs to ripen each year just to make this cake! It’s a new favorite! Everyone I’ve shared it with agrees. I use whole milk instead of buttermilk, walnuts instead of pecans, and omit the icing. It works fine. Now I’ll try to freeze some figs so I can enjoy this later in the year too!
It’s a great cake, glad you enjoy too!
So, the glaze recipe is confusing. It says 1. 1/2 cup buttermilk. I thought that meant 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk. The glaze was way too runny. If the rest of the glaze ingredients were numbered, I would have interpreted it as being 1/2 cup. BUT EITHER WAY, the cake was absolutely delicious! I had a lot of glaze left over. My boyfriend said I needed to make this again. 😀
Sorry about that. It’s 1/2 cup buttermilk. I guess the recipe widget is confusing with the numbers. I can’t take out the numbers, that’s the way it lists things. But I did spell out one-half cup.
hi I was wondering if you can use preserved figs in the place of fresh figs.. thanks.. looking forward to trying this cake
Hi, Michelle, I’m sure you could, maybe cut some of the sugar but give it a try.
This cake does not work! Te figs stuck to the bottom and the cake fell apart even though I cooked it longer than it called for. The glaze was too thin and buttery. I am so disappointed!
So sorry it didn’t work right for you. My mom made this cake many times with success.
Dried figs is all I have. I read soaking them in buttermilk will soften the heartier fruits. Do the measurements of figs stay the same? I may add more.
Thank you for your response.
HI, Tish, I would say use your judgement, as long as you think it’s enough it will probably be fine.
One of the ladies in our church gave hubby and me a bag of fresh figs and I googled recipes for fresh figs. I saw this recipe and baked this cake last night; it was delicious and is almost half gone. I baked it for 50 minutes in my Pampered Chef fluted cake pan but was unsure as to how long to leave it to cool in the pan … the recipe does’t note. I let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes and the cake came out beautifully. I decided to not add the extra calories with the glaze. It really doesn’t need it because this cake is so moist
Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
I have so many figs this year and have been looking for a fresh fig cake. This was wonderful! Followed the original recipe which was quick and simple. Don’t skimp on the spices. The cake was tender and light not overly sweet. I baked it in two loaf pans for 40min. My husband and I tried one with the buttermilk glaze and one without and we both voted for the glazed one. Immediately put the rest of the glaze on the other loaf. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s a great cake.