I LOVE figs. It’s getting to be that time of year again where figs glorify the food blogs and show their face on all the cooking shows. Which obviously makes my fig obsession even more problematic. With any luck, Grant and I will get a container or two in our Bountiful Basket on a good week – I can’t seem to find them in the grocery stores around here.
With all the house fixing recently, I haven’t gotten to do a lot of things I normally enjoy (e.g. bake, read, make art, etc.) so I was really glad to get the excuse to bake something when we got figs and lemons in our basket last week. I mean, no, you don’t have to bake something in order to consume figs, but they make such delectable confections that how could I not??
These little cakes are slightly sweet but not overpowering. Lucky for you (and me, and baby in me), I didn’t use any processed sugars but rather agave nectar, which is always a nice alternative for baking. Likewise, there’s whole wheat flour in there, greek yogurt, and very little fat. It’s always nice eating something delicious that doesn’t make you feel guilty for scarfing down more than one. In fact, I call these cakes, but they would be perfectly acceptable for breakfast as well as dessert. Your pick.
Mosey thought they smelled so good that she tried to sneak a taste while I was photographing them. Luckily I caught her before any damage was done! Bunnies can have figs, but they aren’t supposed to eat wheat products. Or sugar. Sorry, Bun.
Mini Lemon Fig Cakes
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound fresh black mission figs
Zest and juice of 2 small lemon
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 tbsp canola oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine agave nectar, greek yogurt, canola oil, vanilla, eggs, and lemon juice. Stir until well combined, and then add to the dry mixture.
- Mix ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix. Squish three of the figs until it forms a paste and then fold into the batter along with the lemon zest.
- Slice the remaining figs into four sections each (making your slices long, not quartered). Spray a muffin tin with oil and fill with batter about half way full. Place one fig slice on top of each cup, pressing slightly (but not too hard! You’ll want to see them once the cakes have been baked). If desired, sprinkle with a little sugar.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. Makes about 16 mini cakes.