Walnut fig cake, healthy

If you’ve paid a million bucks for a few fresh figs and got some walnuts as well, there’s nothing that can stop you from making this healthy walnut fig cake. It’s gluten-free, flourless, made with oats and we’re going to use real ingredients, as ChatGPT likes to call them. That’s right, this time we are NOT going to use imaginary ingredients to make this healthier dessert recipe with figs. We know, we're also disappointed. We had just taken out our imaginary golden fairy dust as well.

And we have so many things to say about figs…we don’t even know where to start. First, they’re one of the oldest plants that we’ve eaten for thousands and thousands of years. Then we're thinking about recently learning that the fruit is actually a flower. A FLOWER, it’s not actually a fruit!

And then there’s our mind-blowing discovery that fresh figs actually have a lower to medium glycemic index depending on the variety starting at around 35. Which to us is insane, since they’re so sweet and kind to us.

Our sister has a big fig tree in her backyard and honestly the first year they had it, they pretty much used it as a mosquito attractor.

You go to the garden and you just get bitten to death.

It’s almost the same strategy like letting plants flower to attract pollinators like bees and whatever other pollinators you know…but with mosquitoes.

And instead of making honey, they drink your blood.

But this year. This year, we all have plans for that tree. Mosquitos, step away, it’s our time!

From drying the fig leaves for tea, through making fig jam and desserts like this fig cake, to finally using the fruits, sorry, flowers, to make a batch of rakia – aka alcohol.

So, here’s our contribution: An notable coffee or tea cake made with fresh figs, oats and butter. And of course, about a hundred other ingredients. Read the fine print.

The cake is sweet, it’s soft and we just love it. And btw, you can make this fig walnut cake with whatever fruit you have – plums, cherries, berries; probably even pears and apples will do. Here’s how to make it:

Making Walnut Fig Cake Without Flour

Wash and chop the fresh figs into small pieces. Add to a pan with some coconut oil and a little bit of water. Heat up and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. You can add a bit of vanilla and a pinch of salt if you want – we like personally like it.

To make the cake, you need ground oats and walnuts. We just add those to a blender (coffee/nut grinder works too) and process. You can do them together, but you might need to stop and scoop a few times.

melt buttermix figsadd eggs, baking soda, apple cider vinegar

Next, grab a bowl and mix the melted butter mix with half of the sauteed figs. Then mix with the eggs, cinnamon, baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

mix in the ground oats, walnuts and dark brown sugaradd more walnuts and figs

Add in the sugar and in the ground oats and walnuts. After mixing add in a few more figs and chopped walnuts for texture. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

Then line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread the mixture.

Drop sautéed figs on top of the cake mixture in clusters – a tbsp here, a tbsp there. Add some chopped walnuts as well.

Then bake at for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you stab the cake with it. (as clean as possible, there are figs in there).

Let cool off and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• Yield: 10
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 25 minutes
• Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3oz/80g butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups oats, ground
• 1/4 cup walnuts, ground
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

For The Figs

• 1 1/2 cup figs, thinly chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp water

Additionally:

• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Wash and chop the fresh figs into small pieces. Add to a pan with some coconut oil and a little bit of water. Heat up and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. You can add a bit of vanilla and a pinch of salt if you want - we like personally like it.
2. To make the cake, you need ground oats and walnuts. We just add those to a blender (coffee/nut grinder works too) and process. You can do them together, but you might need to stop and scoop a few times.
3. Next, grab a bowl and mix the melted butter mix with half of the sauteed figs. Then mix with the eggs, cinnamon, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Add in the sugar and in the ground oats and walnuts. After mixing add in a few more figs and chopped walnuts for texture.
4. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
5. Then line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread the mixture.
6. Drop sauteed figs on top of the cake mixture in clusters - a tbsp here, a tbsp there. Add some chopped walnuts as well.
7. Then bake at for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you stab the cake with it. (as clean as possible, there are figs in there).
8. Let cool off and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.