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Desserts

Hazelnut Fig Cake

September 27, 2016 by Alexandra Daum
This hazelnut fig cake is a healthier, vegan cake made with coconut sugar, spelt flour, and sweet seasonal figs. Get them while they last, and then make this cake!
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Fig-topped cake on a wire rack with one slice cut.

This simple, seasonal hazelnut fig cake uses two of the best autumn seasonal ingredients, combined for a soft, lightly sweet cake. This is the ideal afternoon cake for a cool September day.

If you can’t get fresh figs, the base cake is delicious on its own, and I would top it with sliced apples, pears, or stone fruits. The cake itself isn’t particularly sweet but the ground hazelnuts make it quite rich and it’s certainly a dessert.

It’s gently spiced with a hint of cardamom and vanilla for warm autumn flavours. This recipe is vegan, but without any special binding agents, and I promise that no one would notice if you didn’t tell them, so it’s perfect to bring to get-togethers or serve to hard-to-please guests.

For a similar springtime recipe, try my rhubarb almond cake. This vegan apple cake is also made with a base of spelt flour and hazelnut meal if you love these flavours.

Table of Contents hide
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Recipe Notes
How to Store
Expert Tips
More Hazelnut Recipes
Fig & Hazelnut Cake

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Hazelnut meal: if you can’t buy or make your own, substitute almond meal. It will have a less distinctive flavour but will still taste good.
  • Spelt flour: substitute plain white flour or whole wheat pastry flour. I haven’t tried making this recipe gluten-free.
  • Coconut sugar: brown sugar or cane sugar should be fine as substitutes, but this hasn’t been tested.
  • Spices: substitute cinnamon, nutmeg, or any spice blend you like in place of the cardamom.
  • Olive oil: this adds a noticeable slightly grassy taste to this cake, which pairs well with the hazelnut and figs. If you want a more plain taste, you can use a lighter tasting oil.
  • Milk: I always use oat milk, but any milk type can be substituted with no change to the amount.

Recipe Notes

This does use a larger cake pan and it is vital to the recipe. A smaller, taller cake using this batter has the tendency to be quite stodgy, but baking it in the larger tin (a typical German spring-form size) makes for an excellent soft crumb.

It’s very nice as is, but also good served with a bit of thick yogurt or coconut whipped cream.

How to Store

Storage: best stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, as the figs spoil quickly at room temperature. Keep for up to three days.

Freezing: this cake can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months, but note that the fruit topping does soften when thawed.

Fig cake with slice removed to show interior texture.

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Expert Tips

  • Don’t over mix: spelt flour contains less protein than white flour, and if over-mixed, becomes tough. Stir until just combined.
  • Use ripe figs: even slightly over-ripe will work for this recipe, but hard figs will make for a rather tasteless topping.
  • Serve at room temperature: while the cake is best stored in the refrigerator, it’s best served a bit warmer for the best texture.

More Hazelnut Recipes

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
Cinnamon Hazelnut Granola
Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies
Roasted Hazelnut Butter

If you make this Fresh Fig Cake or any other dairy-free dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

Yield: 10

Fig & Hazelnut Cake

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 2 cups light spelt flour
  • 1 cup hazelnut meal
  • ¾ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
  • 1 cardamom pod finely ground, or 1/4 teaspoon pre-ground cardamom*
  • 1 ½ cup oat or nut milk
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 8-9 fresh figs halved

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease a 26 cm / 10 inch springform pan or line it with paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, and cardamom.
  • In a smaller bowl, whisk the milk and oil together until incorporated. Add the milk mixture to the larger bowl and gently whisk to combine the wet ingredients into the dry. Don’t over mix.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top by gently dropping the cake tin on the counter to release bubbles. Place the halved figs onto the cake, cut side up. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until golden.
  • Cool the cake on a rack for 15 minutes before removing the outsides of the pan and cooling completely. You can gently remove the base of the pan once the cake is almost cool. This cake is best at room temperature, but will keep well in the fridge for up to three days.

Notes

* You can substitute the cardamom for 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you can’t find it.

* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.


Nutrition

Serving: 10people

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

© Alexandra Daum
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Vegan
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This post was first published in September 2016. It has been updated with no changes to the recipe as of January 2023.

More Desserts:

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Dramatically lit slice of carrot cake on a plate.Dairy-Free Carrot Cake
A stack of three oatmeal cookie chocolate ice cream sandwiches, decorated with raspberries and flowers.Three Ingredient Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Previous Post: « Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten-free)
Next Post: Cinnamon Hazelnut Granola (Vegan, Gluten-Free) »

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Comments

  1. Rachita says

    September 19, 2018 at 10:23 pm

    Can I use whole wheat flour instead of spelt?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      September 23, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      Hi Rachita, I’m not sure I’d recommend using regular whole wheat flour to replace the light spelt, but you could certainly use whole wheat pastry flour!

      Reply
  2. Isabelle @ Crumb says

    October 2, 2016 at 7:24 am

    What a gorgeous cake! I love that you've used spelt flour and hazelnut flour in the cake… those nutty flavours always go so well with the soft sweetness of figs.
    I'm very jealous of the abundant fruits you now have at your disposal, especially the quinces. They're one of my very favourite fruits, and often hard to find here. Can't wait to see all the lovely things you make with this bounty!

    Reply
  3. Hilary says

    October 1, 2016 at 7:43 am

    Oh wow, it sounds so romantic where you are with all the fruit and nut trees! I love how you added cardamom to your cake- it is such an under-used spice in North America I find! But one of my favourites 🙂 Will definitely have to try this recipe!

    Reply
  4. Maikki says

    September 29, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    Love this cake! Those figs look so delicious 🙂

    Reply
  5. Gena says

    September 28, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    Absolutely beautiful, Alexandra. I've been meaning to make a fig cake, and this is such wonderful inspiration.

    Reply

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