Fresh Fig Coffee Cake is garden goodness

Garden fresh fig coffee cake

I never dreamed that I would ever be able to grow fresh figs until this move to southeast Pennsylvania. The climate here is warmer and the growing season longer. With a little winter protection my fig trees have thrived. As grocery produce goes they are a pricey commodity, so it’s a great example of why tending a small backyard garden is worth it. Here we are on the edge of November and these fresh figs are ripening fast and furious.

Once picked figs don’t last long. They are quite perishable. We love them sliced and caramelized in butter with goat cheese and balsamic glaze, but we can only eat so many that way. Simmering a large pot of figs with honey and orange yielded two nice jars of jam. Still so many figs, so I baked a fresh fig coffee cake recipe for you.

This is a dense fruit cake filled with toasted pecans, chopped dates, dried cranberries and the fresh figs. It’s flavored with cardamom, citrus zest and a little orange liqueur. It is a moist cake that is delicious for breakfast topped with plain Greek yogurt or can be served as an elegant after dinner dessert topped with whipped cream.

Garden Fresh Fig Coffee Cake

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• Author: Lisa Keys
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 70 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: serves12

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Ingredients

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1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup pitted dates, quartered

2 tablespoons orange liqueur or orange juice

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups canola

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

3 eggs

1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

12 ripe figs, quartered

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350F. Spray a coffee cake pan with no-stick baking spray.
2. In small bowl, toss cranberries, dates and orange liqueur or juice; reserve.
3. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cardamom; set aside.
4. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil and orange zest on high speed for 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; blend well. With mixer on low speed gradually add flour mixture blending just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in pecans and reserved dried fruit mixture.
5. Spread half the batter evenly over bottom of pan. Evenly space half the figs on the batter. Spread remaining batter over figs. Top with remaining figs.
6. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes.
7. Invert onto a plate and then invert again on to a cooling rack. I prefer the fig side up.

• Category: dessert
• Method: baking

Keywords: figs, coffee cake, dried fruit