Fig, Apricot, and Spice Cake

This fig, apricot, and spice cake is a treat made to stir up the senses. Each bite offers an entertaining glimpse of the Mediterranean. Fresh figs and apricots, creamy yogurt, toasted walnuts, lemon, cardamom, cinnamon, and bit of love go a long way here. In summary, this is my kitchen in form of a cake. And I am so excited to share it with you.

This recipe goes well with a variety of fruits. I recommend going with what’s in season in your neighborhood. Whether you make a cake solely using apricots, peaches, plums, figs, or even berries, your choice of fruit will be well accompanied. Serve with a hot cup of of mint tea or hibiscus tea for a moment well spent.

This treasure trove of a cake is one of my absolute favorites to date. And I am sure it will be remade over and over in my kitchen, making for plenty of memories along the way. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Love,

Hanady

apricot cake

INGREDIENTS/ SERVES ABOUT 8

1/2 cup whole walnuts
1 1/2 cups/ 210 gr. all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 stick/113 gr./8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
1 1/2 cups/ 300 gr. sugar plus 1 tablespoon for topping
3 large eggs, room temperature
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plain whole yogurt or greek yogurt
4 fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
5 apricots, halved and seeds removed

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F, butter a 9 in. springform pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Once the oven has heated, toast the walnuts for about 5 minutes or until aromatic. Cool and chop the walnuts, and set aside. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl; flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,and cardamom, and mix together until well combined. Set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for a few minutes until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 by one, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bottom of your bowl, and add the lemon zest, vanilla, and yogurt, and beat for another minute or until well combined. Reducing your mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat just until well incorporated, while scraping the bottom of the mixing bowl a few times. Be careful to not over-mix the batter. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

3. Scrape the cake batter into your prepared cake pan and even out the surface with a baking paddle. Gently top with the figs and apricots or your fruit of choice. Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over the top, focusing on the fruit.

4. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry with only a few crumbs on it. Leave to cool in pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before loosening the edges of the cake with a baking spatula or an icing spatula, and removing from pan. Leave to cool completely and top with icing sugar. Keeps well refrigerated for up to 4 days.