Tra-La Coffee Cakes

These individual coffee cakes are baked in muffin cups with bits of stewed dried figs folded right into the batter. A brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and walnut streusel on top bakes into a crumbly, sweet crust that cracks when you bite through it.

The figs add a dense, jammy sweetness to each muffin that you can’t get from any other dried fruit. Snip the stems, cut the figs small, and they’ll distribute evenly through the batter without sinking to the bottom.

Stir the batter just until mixed after adding the flour. Overmixing develops gluten and makes these tough instead of tender. You want to see a few streaks of flour still visible when you stop.

Kitchen Tips

• Fill the muffin cups only half full. The streusel topping adds height, and overfilled cups overflow and lose their neat shape
• Stew and drain the figs before chopping. Dry figs straight from the package are too chewy and won’t blend into the soft batter texture
• The streusel topping can be mixed ahead and kept in the fridge. Cold streusel crumbles more easily and stays in distinct pieces instead of melting flat during baking
• Check at 15 minutes. They should be light brown and spring back when touched gently in the center

Variations

• Date swap: Use chopped dates instead of figs for a caramel-like sweetness
• Cream cheese filling: Drop a small spoonful of sweetened cream cheese into the center of each muffin before adding the streusel
• Orange glaze: Drizzle a thin powdered sugar and orange juice glaze over the cooled muffins for extra sweetness and citrus brightness