Fig Ginger Cake

A vintage layer cake that smells like the holidays. Dried figs get boiled until soft, sliced fine, and folded into a warmly spiced batter of ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. Corn syrup and sour milk keep the crumb incredibly moist, and lemon extract adds a bright note that keeps all those warm spices from feeling heavy.

The cake flour makes this tender and fine-grained, which is important for a cake this loaded with fruit and nuts. The batter gets divided into layer cake pans, baked, then iced with a ginger icing that doubles down on the spice.

The figs turn soft and jammy during baking, creating little pockets of concentrated fruit sweetness scattered through every slice.

Kitchen Tips

• Boil the figs for the full 10 minutes. Undercooked dried figs stay chewy and tough, and they’ll pull moisture from the batter as it bakes.
• Slice the boiled figs very fine so they distribute evenly through the batter. Large pieces sink to the bottom.
• Alternate adding the dry ingredients and sour milk to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with dry. This prevents the batter from curdling.
• Sour milk can be made by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to ½ cup of regular milk and letting it sit 5 minutes.

Variations

• Substitute ½ cup of the cake flour with soy or lima bean flour as the recipe suggests for a slightly nuttier flavor and more protein.
• Use dried dates in place of figs for a caramel-like sweetness.
• Top with a cream cheese frosting instead of ginger icing for a tangier finish.