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Home » Recipes

Fig and Walnut Cake

Published: Dec 18, 2015 · Modified: Oct 2, 2022 by Emma · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments

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This Fig and Walnut Cake is a fantastic alternative to the traditional Christmas Cake. Read on to find out why.

An alternative to Christmas Cake

Over the last few years I've been tweaking my traditional Christmas Cake recipe. I'm a big fan of the original recipe and love the excitement that comes with soaking my fruit for days, cooking the cake for hours and then feeding it with brandy for a month or two before embarking on the decoration process. That being said, it is incredibly labour intensive and as each Christmas comes around I panic about being able to get the cake done in what little time I have. As a result I've been looking for a quick Christmas cake recipe that can be made in a day.

Christmas cake that doesn't need to mature

In an attempt to cut down on the need to soak the fruit and feed the cake for quite so long I've come up with a rich, moist fruit cake recipe that can be made in the run up to Christmas or even Christmas Eve if you'd prefer. All because it can be enjoyed immediately!

What makes the traditional Christmas Cake so rich is that it is jam packed full of spices, treacle and booze. Cooking the cake month's before gives the cake time to "mature" enhancing it's flavour. But, with my Fig and Walnut Cake recipe you can still serve up a decadent fruitcake without spending hours nurturing the sponge.

This Fig and Walnut Cake from Supper in the Suburbs is a wonderful alrernative to the traditional English fruitcake

How to make Fig and Walnut Cake

The secret to this alternative Christmas cake recipe? Partially dehydrated fruit. Doesn't sound that exciting does it? But hear me out...

Figs are fantastic in their own right and have been celebrated in figgy pudding for hundreds of years particularly around the festive season. They can also be bought in a "partially dehydrated" state from all good supermarkets and health food shops. I've noticed that they are often packaged as "dried" figs but you will see in the window of the packet that they are actually quite sticky and a little moist. These are the figs you want!

Dried apricots are also only partially dehydrated. Bite into one of these orange jewels and you'll find a soft moist centre. Grab a bag of those from the supermarket too as both the apricots and the figs will add depth of flavour and the additional moisture will cut down on the time required to soak the fruit.

You'll also need ground almonds as well as walnuts for the sponge. The walnuts not only add crunch but a sweet creamy flavour too. The almonds will help give the sponge a fantastic texture retaining the moisture from the booze.

Simplify Christmas this year with a Fig and Walnut Cake which looks beautiful served naked and can be cooked just days before Christmas

Decorating an alternative Christmas Cake

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between a traditional Christmas Cake and my Fig and Walnut Cake is that I choose to serve my Fig and Walnut Cake completely naked. There's no marzipan here and certainly no royal icing. No fondant Santa Clause or plastic reindeer either. This is meant to be a simple, no fuss recipe so lets forget the decoration! From a flavour and texture point of view you don't need it anyway!

If this is a little too plain check out this Christmas cake recipe where I decorate with glazed nuts. You can also add a thin layer of marzipan and royal icing if you really want but be careful not to use too much and overpower the cake.

The Recipe

This rich and decadent Christmas Cake is in fact a Fig and Walnut Cake that can easily be whipped up just days if not the night before Christmas find out how at Supper in the Suburbs

Fig and Walnut Cake

This Fig and Walnut Cake is a sophisticated alternative to a classic British fruit cake.
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Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 4 hours hrs
Soaking time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 5 hours hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 12 people
Calories 791.19 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 300 g Dark Brown Sugar
  • 300 g Butter
  • 6 Eggs
  • 400 g plain flour
  • 400 g dried figs
  • 200 g raisins
  • 100 g dried apricots
  • 150 g mixed peel
  • 100 g ground almonds
  • 100 g walnuts
  • teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoon dark treacle
  • 250 ml apricot brandy + extra for the glaze
  • 3 tablespoon apricot jam to glaze

Instructions
 

  • Half an hour before you begin making the cake, dice the figs and apricots into small pieces and add to small bowl with the rest of the drief fruit and cover with the brandy.
  • Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave the fruit to rehydrate.
  • After 30 minutes of soaking the fruit, in a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Slowly add the eggs to the mixture one at a time ensuring they are fully combined before adding the next one.
  • Next, fold in the flour, ground almonds, nuts and spices.
  • Once a cake batter has formed, stir through the treacle, dried fruit and brandy.
  • Place to one side to let the flavours mellow while your prepare the cake tin.
  • To prepare the tin, line a 9” x 3 ½ spring form pan with grease proof paper.
  • Pour the batter into the tin and use a spatula to make sure it is level.
  • Bake for 4hrs on Gas Mark 1.
  • Once the cake is cooked though (you can use a skewer to test) leave the cake to cool in the tin.
  • Finally, transfer the cool cake on to your cake board.
  • Mix a 3 tablespoon of apricot jam with an extra splash or two of brandy and mix until combined.
  • Using a pastry brush gently cover the outside of the cake with the glaze.

Nutrition

Calories: 791.19kcalCarbohydrates: 108.33gProtein: 11.42gFat: 32.72gSaturated Fat: 14.47gTrans Fat: 0.83gCholesterol: 135.59mgSodium: 240.87mgPotassium: 664.29mgFiber: 7.57gSugar: 59.77gVitamin A: 1061.51IUVitamin C: 1.93mgCalcium: 152.9mgIron: 4.52mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

How to serve my Fig and Walnut Cake

For me, this cake tastes so fantastic just as it is - best served with a big mug of coffee or a cheeky brandy while sat on the sofa Christmas afternoon.

This rustic naked fruitcake is made from partially dehydrated figs and walnuts for a rich fruitcake that can be made on Christmas Eve

More alternative Christmas cake recipes

Chocolate and Orange Fruitcake Squares are a great alternatiev to slices of traditional Christmas Cake Find the recipe at Supper in the Suburbs

Chocolate and Orange Fruitcake Squares (no alcohol)

Vegan White Chocolate and Cranberry Cake

Vegan White Chocolate and Cranberry Cake

This Naked Christmas Cake looks like a decoration with glazed fruit and nuts on top. Get the recipe at Supper in the Suburbs!

Naked Christmas Cake

Ginger is the perfect, warming spice for the winter months. You'll find three types of ginger in this Gingerbread Loaf Cake topped with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting! Get the recipe at Supper in the Suburbs.

Gingerbread Loaf with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

More Christmas recipes

For the full range of festive recipes check out the Christmas recipe archive.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen says

    December 18, 2015 at 9:20 pm

    Cake looks amazing. Just want to know you've got two lots of sugar and butter do we only use one lot?

    Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      December 18, 2015 at 9:33 pm

      Thanks Karen not sure how that happened il double check now. It should only be one lot! Thanks for flagging 🙂

      Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      December 18, 2015 at 9:36 pm

      Should be all fixed now Karen 🙂 Marry Christmas!

      Reply
  2. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

    December 20, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    This looks yummy, and I love that it's so much quicker to make than a normal Christmas cake! Definitely looks like it would be great with a bit of custard or brandy butter 😀

    Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      December 21, 2015 at 10:03 am

      Thanks Becca 🙂 I love the idea of serving it with brandy butter! Great suggestion! Merry Christmas!

      Reply
  3. Claire @foodiequine says

    December 21, 2015 at 10:53 am

    At first glance I thought it was a giant mushroom! lol
    I'm not a hug fan of walnuts and was discussing this with a friend recently who said she was the same until she bought some for a recipe and they tasted way better than the ones she'd had lurking in her cupboard for years and years!

    Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      December 21, 2015 at 11:06 am

      Hahaha oh dear! Definitely not a mushroom. I think with anything the better qaulity walnuts you can get the better. And if you are willing to go out of your way and crack fresh walnuts by hand even better! But who really has time for that? Swapping the walnuts for another nut of your choice would be fine. I'd probably recommend almonds or hazelnuts 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sarah (@tamingtwins) says

    December 21, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    Oh I love the idea of biting in and finding a pocket of squishy fig or apricot. This cake sounds like a delight. Thanks so much for sharing with FestiveFoodFriday.

    Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      December 22, 2015 at 12:50 am

      My pleasure Sarah! Who doesn't love a cheeky bit of apricot or fig!

      Reply
  5. Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says

    December 21, 2015 at 11:25 pm

    I'm really not a fan of Christmas cake, but think I would love something like this, yum!

    Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      December 22, 2015 at 12:49 am

      I've never been a huge fan of Christmas cake either Jemma! I'm glad you like the sound of this though 🙂

      Reply
  6. Linda says

    September 07, 2016 at 11:16 am

    What should the oven be set on? I am in the USA.

    Reply
    • Emma Walton says

      September 07, 2016 at 11:29 am

      Hi Linda.

      This cake should be cooked on a cool oven either:

      140C for an electric oven or 120C for an electric fan assisted oven.
      This is roughly 284F for the electric oven or 248F for a fan assisted oven.

      I hope that helps!

      Emma

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Emma. I'm a UK based food blogger who's been sharing recipes with the world since 2011. I'm passionate about eating a plant based diet using local, seasonal ingredients.

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