Fig and Almond Olive Oil Cake

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Fig and Almond Olive Oil Cake is a late-summer sweet featuring a tender crumb infused with the nutty taste of almonds and fragrant olive oil, topped with juicy figs. Easy to make in just a few simple steps and sure to impress!

Fig and almond olive cake topped with fresh sliced figs, confectioners' sugar, and honey on a marble cake stand.

We love late-summer for several reasons, but especially for the luscious figs! When we aren't enjoying the figs on their own or on fig and prosciutto pizza, we showcase them in desserts like this olive oil cake and our fig and mascarpone tart. It's light, flavorful, and perfect for sharing with friends and family.

Looking for other tasty cake recipes? Try our Passion Fruit Cake or Moist Carrot Cake.

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Why You'll Love This Fig Almond Cake
Key Ingredients
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make Fig Cake
Baking Tips
Recipe FAQs
Related Recipes
Did You Like This Recipe?
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Fig Almond Cake

Taste - Fig Almond Cake is the perfect balance of sweet figs and earthy olive oil.
Texture - This cake is fluffy yet moist from the olive oil.
Effort - Despite how beautiful the cake is, it is quite simple.
Time - It takes about 15 minutes to prep the cake then 1 hour to bake it. Then you need to wait 10 minutes for it to cool.

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for fig and almond olive oil cake, flour, figs, olive oil, brown sugar, milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking soda and powder, kosher salt.

Figs - We prefer black mission figs for their perfectly sweet flavor. But you can use any figs that you like!
Extra virgin olive oil - Use a high quality olive oil because it will directly affect the flavor of the cake.
All-purpose flour - All purpose flour provides the structure for the cake.
Baking powder and soda - Baking powder and soda help the cake rise.
Granulated sugar and brown sugar - Granulated sugar adds sweetness while brown sugar adds a rich molasses flavor.
Eggs - Eggs provide structure and prevent the cake from crumbling.
Whole milk - Milk adds moisture to the tender crumb.
Lemon zest - Lemon zest brightens up the cake with extra citrus flavor.
Vanilla extract - Vanilla adds complexity and enhances the other flavors.
Almond extract - Almond extract adds the signature nutty flavor.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Milk - Use ricotta, sour cream, or whole fat greek yogurt instead of whole milk.
Toppings - If you want to make this cake extra decadent, top the cake with our mascarpone frosting or homemade whipped cream.
Extra nutty - Add slivered almonds to the top of the batter for extra almond flavor and crunch.
Cinnamon - Add a little cinnamon for a warm touch.
Fig jam - If figs are out of season, add dollops of fig jam on top of the batter and swirl with a knife or the tip of a chopstick.

How to Make Fig Cake

Steps to make fig almond olive oil cake, grease cake pan; whisk flour, baking soda and powder, kosher salt; cream sugars, eggs, olive oil until light.

Preheat oven - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease. (Photo 1)
Mix the dry ingredients - In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then set aside. (Photo 2)
Mix wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, add eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whip the eggs and sugar on high until light in color and fluffy. (Photo 3 and 4)

Steps to make fig almond olive oil cake, add milk, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extract, olive oil, and whisk.

Add more wet ingredients - Then, slowly add in the olive oil and whip the batter for another 2 minutes. Then whisk in milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest. (Photo 5, 6, 7, and 8)

Steps to make fig almond olive oil cake, fold in dry ingredients, transfer to cake pan, top with fresh sliced figs.

Mix in flour mixture - Turn the mixer setting down to low and slowly add in the flour mixture, and whisk just until incorporated. Be careful to not over mix the batter. (Photo 9 and 10)
Bake the cake - In a greased round 9" cake pan, carefully pour the batter. Arrange the sliced figs, cut side up, in a single layer on top of the batter. Then place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden and the cake test comes out clean. (Photo 11 and 12)

Steps to make fig almond olive oil cake, bake and cool cake on wire rack, top with sliced figs and powdered sugar.

Cool the cake then separate it from the pan - Remove the cake pan from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Using a paring knife, run the knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the edge of the pan. Then invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool. (Photo 13 and 14)
Dust the cake then serve - Then remove the cake from the pan and let it completely cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, top with sliced figs, dust powdered sugar on top, and slice into wedges. Serve with whipped cream and a drizzle of honey. (Photo 15 and 16)

Pro tip - Be sure to use a high-quality olive oil. The quality of the olive oil will make a big difference in the taste of the cake.

Baking Tips

Make sure to properly grease the baking pan so the cake comes out easily.
Let the cake cool between 10 to 20 minutes. But don't let it set for too short or too long. If you remove the cake too soon, the cake will fall apart and if you wait too long, the cake will get stuck to the cake pan.
Don’t over mix the batter or the cake will get dense and chewy, instead of light and fluffy.

Recipe FAQs

Where did olive oil cake come from?

The origin of olive oil cake is unknown. But many believe it originated in Italy where olive oil is a common ingredient in cooking and baking.

Is fig and almond cake gluten-free?

No, the flour has gluten; however, you can use 1-for-1 gluten-free flour.

Can I use dried figs for the cake?

Yes, if it is not fig season you can use dried figs. Just soak the dried figs in warm water for a few minutes to soften them before adding them to the batter.

Did You Like This Recipe?

Love this easy fig cake recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below & consider leaving a comment below. Looking for other fig recipes? Try our Fig Burrata Prosciutto Pizza or our Fig Balsamic Chicken.

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