Before I get into today's post, and share this gorgeous Fig and Chocolate Cake recipe, I want to send out a thank you to everyone for their lovely comments, emails and tweets in support of the release of my e-cookbook Delicious everyday. I have to say I was completely taken by surprise by the amount of support I received. Thank you doesn't seem like enough, so I'm sharing with you this delicious cake instead!
One of my favourite things to make recently has been Nigel Slater's Chocolate Muscovado Banana Cake (you can find the original recipe here on Wednesday Chef's gorgeous site). Banana's and chocolate are always a winning combination in my book, and coupled with the treacley richness of the dark brown sugar, it's nothing short of divine. Especially since I double the chocolate in the original recipe (you can never have too much chocolate in my opinion). I'm so in love with this cake I've made one per week over the last few weeks.
However I came across some gorgeous figs recently, at my favourite greengrocer, and decided to substitute the bananas for beautiful juicy figs, for this Fig and Chocolate Cake, and it's just as divine as the original. And I think, hope, Nigel Slater would approve. The slight jamminess of the figs in the baked cake, along with the soft chocolate chunks makes it a cake that is eaten all too soon, leaving you wanting another slice. In fact I do right now as I've just finished a slice of my Fig and Chocolate Cake right now as I'm typing out this post!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 figs, diced
- 1 tbs honey
- 125 g butter, softened, 1 stick
- 200 g muscovado or dark brown sugar, 1 cup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 g plain flour, 2 cups, all-purpose
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup milk
- 200 g dark chocolate, chopped, 7 oz
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease a 22cm (9 inches) x 12cm (5 inches) loaf pan.
- Place the figs and honey in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together until light and golden. Scrape down the sides, and add the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla extract, and mix until combined. Sift in the flour, baking powder and milk and mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold through the figs and chocolate.
- Pour into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cake is browned and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly cover with foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cake rack.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a lovely cake! Chocolate and fig sounds heavenly together, especially since you doubled the chocolate :).
Gluten Free Julia says
This recipe is perfect for Autumn and for this rainy weather we are having in Brisbane! Substitute the flour for a gluten free all-purpose flour and check the baking powder, vanilla extract and chocolate are also gluten free and you should be good to go!
Stephanie - The Dessert Spoon says
I love cakes like this, packed with fruit and chocolate. Such lovely photos too!
Rosa says
A wonderful cake! I love Nigel Slater.Cheers,Rosa
thelittleloaf says
Oh wow Jennifer, this looks and sounds utterly incredible. I don't think I've ever come across a cake/bread like this before. Yum!
My Kitchen Stories says
Hi jennifer i was sick last week and must have missed your last post. Congrats on your ebook. Its so nice to feel that you have support. Your work is lovely and you deserve the support.
MadSCAR says
This looks great!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
Figs and chocolate - what a lovely combination! Would love to try something like this so I am pinning it!
Jacinta says
Hi Jennifer, I'm in the middle of making your delicious fig and chocolate cake but have noticed there is milk in the ingredients but not in the instructions. I've added it in anyway and am sure it is going to be scrumptious. By the way we love, love, love your blueberry cake recipe too.
Jennifer says
Hi Jacinta, thanks for picking up that mistake. I've corrected it now 🙂 Did you enjoy the cake? And I'm so glad you enjoy my blueberry cake 😀
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Figs and chocolate is a delicious and divine combo. Yum!
Lottie @ Lottie's World of Cakes and Bakes says
I love both figs and chocolate, this going to have to be something I try, it looks delicious!
Jennifer says
I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Hiromi says
We have too many figs to eat from our tree, so I was looking for something new to make.
Between ripe figs and chocolate chips(80% dark chocolate), I knew 200g of brown sugar is way too much. So I only used 100g.
It has a good texture once it cools, but it has too much chocolate chips. So you hardly taste figs. I would half the amount of chocolate also. Or maybe even 1/3 of what this recipe calls for. Even with half of brown sugar, it’s quite sweet.
Ode says
Hello from Sicily! I've just made this cake and am very pleased with the result. Must confess, I made my tweaks, I always do. We don't like too sweet cakes (apart from brownies), so I added about 85g of brown sugar. Will add 100g the next time. Also, only 200g of flour, which was fine. I didn't skimp on the figs and the butter. You don't mention what figs and how large, I put 7 medium white figs we harvested yesterday from our tree. And 80g of dark chocolate. It turned out wonderful, moist inside and with a brown, crispy exterior. Thank you so much! I'm gonna keep this recipe to use with other fruits and choc, like walnuts and California dried prunes. Awesome, I love this type of cake!