A Fresh Fig and Apple Cake is the solution to a quandary. Late summer brings figs to the markets. At the same time, fall apples begin to appear. Combining the two seems obvious. I researched ingredients and techniques and developed a solid approach – an almond flour cake with the right complementary ingredients.
A side note. Butter is the only dairy product used in this cake. Therefore, it can be considered a low-lactose dessert.
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Ingredient Refinements
The Subtractions
Most almond and fig cake recipes call for almond extract. I found this an unwelcome astringency, and excluded it. Honey is also a common additional ingredient. To me, it was an unwelcome sweet-on-sweet alongside the figs. Nutmeg, cinnamon, or jellies did not help.
The Additions
What worked best was the simplicity of vanilla — preferably added through vanilla sugar instead of vanilla extract. But either works.
The Design
Using the apples along with the figs you can create alternating fig and apple circles in your tart pan. Simply start from the outside and work inwards. This gives a visual impact without a great deal of effort.
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Fresh Fig and Apple Cake
Simple, is perfect
Ingredients
- 12-16 fresh figs, stem removed, sliced in half
- 1 or 2 medium apples (sweeter variety)
- 140g (1 1/2 cup) almond flour
- 70g (1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon) flour
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 113g butter (1 stick or 8 Tablespoons), softened at room temperature
- 150g (3/4 cup) vanilla sugar; if vanilla sugar is not available, substitute 150g of plain sugar and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9" tart pan with butter.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients except the sugar (almond flour, flour, salt, and baking powder) in a bowl.
- Using a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, scraping down as needed.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a bit at a time (3 or 4 additions) at a low speed. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out so it is evenly distributed.
- Peel, core, and slice the apples. Slices can be as thick as you like - somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 an inch. (Thinner slices can be arranged with more overlap.)
- To arrange the fig halves and apple slices on the batter, start by placing the fig slices on the dough on the outer edge. Push down slightly into the dough. Complete the circle, Then add a circle of apple slices inside the circle of figs. Overlap the apple slices somewhat, and again push down slightly into the dough. The thinner the slices, the more overlapping you can do. Lastly, add a circle of fig halves inside the apple slices. (Note: exactly how all this will space out is dependent on the sizes of the figs and apples -- adjust as needed.)
- Bake on a center rack for 30-35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 180Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 5.5gTrans Fat 0.3gUnsaturated Fat 5.6gCholesterol 67mgSodium 144mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 3.3gSugar 14gProtein 3.3g
is this freezable please 🙏
To be honest I haven’t tried it. I think though that taste would hold up, but structure of the fruit would break and not look as good. But likely ok.
This is a great recipe! Have tried several ones for fresh figs and this is the best so far – I like the fluffy texture of the base and used 100g sugar including one package of vanilla sugar (7g), which was sweet enough for me. Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It has always been one of my personal favorites. Figs have a very interesting taste, but sometimes a bit hard to figure out the best way to use them.