Fig and Hazelnut Cake
This cake is so gorgeous. Two of my favourite flavours combined. The sweet, honey-like figs with their oozy, soft texture and the earthy, buttery flavour from the ground hazelnuts is heaven together. The cake is inspired by Ottolenghi’s almond cakes but I have to say, I think I’ve morphed this into something really really delicious with a few different ingredients.
I’ve made this cake a lot, mainly whenever I can find affordable figs which is usually at the end of the season (ie. now!) and it’s a crowd pleaser especially when served with a generous dollop of double cream!
If you can’t get a hold of figs, I really love blueberries as a substitute. Just sprinkle a couple of handfuls over the cake batter before baking and within the hour, you’ll have a pretty special cake in your hands!
This cake also uses buttermilk which I just love using in baking for the flavour and leavening effect. But I know it might be a bit tricky to source so if you can’t find it, add a generous tablespoon of lemon juice to just under a 1/4 cup of milk, set aside for 5 minutes and voila!
Happy baking,
Mel x
