Figs are plentiful in North Carolina in August, and what better way to enjoy them than in a cake! Many fig cake recipes come from Ocracoke where more than fourteen varieties of figs are known to grow. Local legend says that the late Margaret Garrish used figs when she didn’t have dates for a cake, and the rest is history. This recipe served as the inspiration for the delicious fig muffins which you will sometimes find at Chatham Marketplace.
Ocracoke Fig Cake – makes 10 generous slices
(from Hungry Enough to Eat Six)
INGREDIENTS:
Ingredients for the Figgy Jam:
- 1½ cups finely chopped dried figs (8 oz) or 3 cups of fresh figs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 slices of lemon
- ⅔ cup water
Ingredients for the Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Ingredients for the Glaze:
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1½ teaspoons cornstarch (also known as cornflour in the UK)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the fig jam:
- Place the chopped figs in a medium-sized saucepan and stir them together with the ½ cup of the sugar, the lemon slices and the ⅔ cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes (fresh figs may take a little longer) until it is thickened, stirring it often to prevent the figs from sticking to the bottom. Remove the pan from heat and discard the lemon slices.
- Pour the contents into a heatproof bowl and allow the jam to cool. This will make about 1½ cups (13 ounces) of fig jam.
Make the cake batter:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan.
- Beat the eggs in a stand mixer until they’re frothy and light yellow. Add in the 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the oil, and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix until everything is combined.
- Mix together in a separate bowl the flour, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, salt, black pepper and the 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Add the dry mix to the egg mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the ½ cup of buttermilk. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Slowly mix the fig jam into the batter. (If you’re using walnuts, add them now.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes until a tester inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove the pan to a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze:
- Combine the ½ cup of buttermilk, the ½ cup of sugar, melted butter, corn starch, and the ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Once it comes to a boil, immediately remove the pan from heat and keep stirring. It will be foamy and will escape the pan if not stirred!
- Stir in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla and then let the glaze sit to wait for the cake.
Finish the cake:
-
- Have a serving platter ready for the cake: the platter should have enough room and high-enough edges to hold excess glaze.
- After the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan. Invert the pan onto the serving platter and gently remove the pan from the cake.
- Pour the warm glaze evenly over the top of the still-warm cake.
- Allow the cake to cool for another 10-15 minutes. Then slice it and serve
