Fig Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Sibby Barrett

Fig Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping

Crumble, streusel, sprinkle, call it what you will, I'm a fool for a coffee cake and even more of a fool for one with a topping! This recipe goes hand in hand with the previous FRESH FIG post. Same story, a neighbor calls and says, help, come pick figs, and I'm there, scheming and thinking of all the things I can do with fresh figs. (soak figs in vinegar and make a fig vinaigrette, preserves, great on a cheese plate, a bbq pork slider, wrapped in bacon or prosciutto….)
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Brunch, coffee cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

Cake Batter-Wet
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
Cake Batter-Dry
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 scant teaspoon salt
  • 2 scant teaspoons ground cardamom
  • ½ cup crystalized ginger diced
  • 12-14 fresh figs sliced so the pretty long side shows
Crumble
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • generous pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 5 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts I love pecans but walnuts or pistachios would be nice here

Method
 

  1. Prep pan
  2. Preheat oven to 350º.  Spray and line a 9” round, deep cake round or cheesecake pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.  Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment.
Cake Batter-Wet
  1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, both sugars, water and vanilla.  Whisk well to blend.
Cake Batter-Dry
  1. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder salt, cardamom and crystalized ginger. 
     Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just to blend.  Pour into prepared pan.  Arrange sliced figs in a concentric circle all over the top of the cake.  
Crumble
  1. In the dry ingredient bowl that you used, mix together the crumble ingredients.  Flour, baking powder, salt, sugars, cinnamon, melted butter and nuts. Mix with your hands, squeezing and rubbing to blend into a crumbly mixture.  Sprinkle all over the top of the sliced figs.
Bake
  1. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.  Let cake cool for at least an hour before slicing.  

Notes

This cake will hold nicely for several days in a covered container at room temperature.  I keep mine under a glass dome. Briefly reheating for 10-15 minutes makes it extra special.