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Sliced fig and walnut olive oil cake on a marble board, honey glaze dripping over golden crumb and walnut halves.

Rustic Fig and Walnut Olive Oil Cake with Honey Glaze

A moist olive oil cake with fresh figs and toasted walnuts, finished with a warm honey drizzle.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 48 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 23 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 430
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 80 g walnuts chopped, toasted
  • 3 eggs large
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 180 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 120 g plain yogurt
  • 1 tbsp orange zest from 1 orange
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250 g fresh figs (about 6 to 7 medium); halved lengthwise
Topping
  • 20 g walnuts chopped, reserved from toasted batch
  • 2 tbsp honey

Method
 

Prep
  1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease a 23 cm / 9-inch round cake pan and line the base with parchment paper.
  2. Toast the walnuts in a dry 20 cm / 8-inch skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant. Let cool, then chop. Set 20 g aside for the topping.
  3. Halve the figs lengthwise. Pat the cut sides dry with a paper towel if they feel very juicy.
Batter
  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes, until pale and slightly thick.
  3. Whisk in the olive oil, yogurt, orange zest, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in three additions, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Don't overmix, or the cake will turn dense.
  5. Fold in 80 g of the toasted walnuts.
Assemble and Bake
  1. Pour half the batter into the pan. Arrange half the fig halves on top, cut side up, then pour in the rest of the batter.
  2. Press the remaining fig halves into the top of the batter, cut side up. Sprinkle with the reserved 20 g walnuts.
  3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
  4. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn it out onto a wire rack.
  5. Warm the honey for about 10 seconds and drizzle it over the cooled cake before slicing.

Notes

  • Don't overmix once the flour goes in, or the cake turns dense.
  • Fresh figs vary in sweetness, taste one before deciding how much honey to drizzle on top.
  • A 23 cm / 9-inch springform pan also works if you don't have a regular round cake pan.
  • Reserve some walnuts for the topping so every slice gets a bit of crunch.