This moist, sweet, and flavorful homemade fig bread recipe is a fall favorite! Sometimes referred to as fig cake, it's loaded with chunks of fresh figs, chopped walnuts, and is spiced with cardamom and cinnamon. Be sure to try my candied figs recipe and my new fig leaf tea recipe!
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
This irresistible fig bread recipe is one of my most sought-after recipes! Some of my friends refer to it as fig bread, while others call it fig cake. Whatever you call it, you'll agree that it's absolutely delicious! If you want to be extra naughty, drizzle it with some fig syrup!
Jump to:
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This fig cake recipe is one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make. No need to use a stand mixer or use a bunch of bowls that leave you with a huge mess to clean up afterward.
- Baking fig bread is as easy as mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. After that, pop it in the oven and enjoy the heavenly aroma!
- The spices used in this bread really complement each other and give it a unique taste that you'll be craving all year long.
- Fig bread leftovers freeze well, and the fig bread retains its moist texture. This means you can enjoy your fig bread long after figs are not in season.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Figs: Fresh or frozen figs are preferred. If you absolutely can't get figs, you can rehydrate dried figs in hot water, then squeeze out excess moisture. Another option is to use one 8-ounce jar of fig jam or fig preserves. If you do that, you may need to reduce the amount of sugar.
- Flour: All-purpose flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, or a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Spices: Ground cardamom, cinnamon powder, ground cloves, and freshly ground nutmeg. If you don't have all the spices, you can skip one or two of them, but you want the bread to have a mixture of these warming spices.
- Nuts: Either walnuts or pecans can be added. May leave out if you have nut allergies.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page!
🍞 Fig Bread Recipe Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, and sea salt) in a large bowl until combined.
Step 2: Place the walnuts in a ziplock bag and pound with a mallet until crushed. Another option is to use a food processor (paid link).
Step 3: Fold the walnuts in with the dry ingredients.
Pro Tip: Folding the walnuts into the flour coats them with flour and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the fig bread.
Step 4: In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and chopped figs).
Step 5: Fold wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan (greased and floured bundt pan, or two loaf pans).
Pro Tip: If using frozen figs, make sure they are defrosted and drained first so that you don't have excessive liquid in your fig bread, which would cause it to sink in the middle.
Step 6: Bake in the oven, on the middle rack, for approximately one hour for a bundt pan. If using loaf pans, bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Pro Tip: Since oven temperatures vary, test with a toothpick to make sure it's cooked all the way through.
Step 7: Cool the fig bread for approximately 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Cool on wire racks completely before slicing it.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
This recipe is very flexible and can be prepared with either oil or unsalted butter. Simply substitute an equal amount of melted and cooled butter for the amount of oil called for in this recipe.
There are many reasons why baked goods fall in the middle. Some say it's because the oven door was open during the baking process, while others say the bread needs more flour.
I think one of the main reasons fig bread caves in the middle is due to the high liquid content. This is due to the amount of juice in the figs. This is especially the case if you use defrosted frozen figs, which is why I recommend straining the figs before using them. Try adding an additional ¼ cup of flour to increase the flour-to-liquid ratio.
Although I highly recommend using fresh figs, I realize not everyone has access to fresh figs, and that they are only in season for a short time of the year.
To use dried figs in this recipe, start by rehydrating the dried figs. Cover the figs with boiling water for approximately 10 minutes. Next, drain and pat the figs dry before chopping and measuring out one cup to use in the recipe.
Yes, you can, but some adjustments need to be made to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. I recommend the following adjustments:
• Reduce the amount of sugar from 1-⅓ cups to 1 cup.
• Increase the amount of flour by ¼ of a cup.
• Decrease the amount of figs from 1 cup of fresh figs to ¾ cups of preserves.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- The figs should be chopped coarsely instead of ground. We want big chunks of figs in the bread!
- During fig season, I chop the figs and add them to small ziplock bags in one-cup portions. I then keep them in the freezer to use throughout the year when I'm craving fig bread.
- You can also make this fig bread recipe by replacing one of the eggs with half of a ripe banana. It makes an even moister cake/bread.
- If you have beautiful, fresh figs, you can you can decorate the top of the bread with sliced figs.
- Store the fig bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage.
🍽 More Quick Breads to Try
🍓 More Fig Recipes
If you enjoyed this fig bread recipe, be sure to check out these other fig recipes, too!
Did you make this recipe?
📖 Recipe
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Favorite Fig Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350℉
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, and sea salt) in a large bowl until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and chopped figs).
- Fold wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan, or two loaf pans.
- Bake in the oven, on the middle rack, for approximately one hour for a bundt pan. If using loaf pans, bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool the fig bread for approximately 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Cool on wire racks completely before slicing it.
Nutrition
Notes
- If using frozen figs, make sure they are defrosted and drained first so that you don't have excessive liquid in you fig bread, which would cause it to sink in the middle.
- Folding the walnuts into the flour coats them with flour and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the fig bread.
- The figs should be chopped coarsely. You want big chunks of figs in the bread.
- Since oven temperatures vary, test with a toothpick to make sure it's cooked all the way through.
- During fig season, I chop the figs and add them to small ziplock bags in one cup portions. I then keep them in the freezer to use throughout the year when I'm craving fig bread.
- You can also make this bread by replacing one of the eggs with half of a ripe banana. It makes an even moister cake/bread.
Judy Nishi says
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Judy,
Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the fig cake! 🙂
Lori Bosse says
Thank you for sharing your recipe and story with us! I just received fresh figs from a neighbor and was looking for a recipe to use them in. Can you tell me if I need to remove the skin or use it all? Also I do not have any cardamom, can I use something else? Maybe ginger? Thank you again! Going to make this bread today!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Lori,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, please use the entire fig, no need to peel them! I'm sad that you don't have cardamom, it's my favorite spice. However, if you don't want to purchase it, there are plenty of other flavors in there so no need to replace it with another spice. Enjoy!
Frank & Christina says
Made to recipe - was good. Then next loaf used 2 cups fresh figs - mmm better. Week later made two more loaves using 2 cups figs. Great.
Consistently GOOD.
Thanks Hilda. We'll change it up a little with different nuts or maybe peach & figs (all fresh), but at least we have a tried & true good fresh fig bread recipe.
HildaSterner says
Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you liked the recipe. I'm still waiting for my figs to get ripe, can't wait! Enjoy!
Starla says
Was looking for recipes to use figs from our trees. Tried this bread and it was delicious! I used half almond flour in mine because I had some that needed using up but all plain flour would be good too. Will package some already cut up figs for the freezer in recipe size portions for a wintertime treat. I was generous with the figs and had to add a bit more flour to compensate for the moisture but it turned out great. Thanks so much for sharing this easy to make, delicious recipe!
HildaSterner says
Hi Starla,
Thanks so much for leaving a review. I'm glad you enjoyed it, it's one of my favorite cakes and I will totally miss it when I make the final move to Montana. Enjoy!
Julie says
Hi Hilda, thank you for sharing the story of Chuck, blessed me and touched my heart.
Question, can I use dried figs n place of fresh? If so, use same ratio?
HildaSterner says
Hi Julie, I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about my favorite neighbor! If you have jam, you might want to use that instead. I supposed you can use dried figs, but maybe hydrate them first in some hot water? I just wouldn't want the figs to absorb the moisture from the cake if that makes sense? This cake is usually very moist and the raw figs help to make it that way. If you do use hydrated dried figs, the same ratio should be fine. Good luck!
Terri says
I want to try this---sounds wonderful! Quick question--I've looked at a couple of other recipes & the comments that are posted with those recipes about fallen center loaves. Has this been a problem with your recipe? Thanks!
HildaSterner says
Hi Terri, Great question! That seems to happen when I use chopped, frozen figs, which end up introducing way more liquid into the recipe than if they were fresh. Another way to avoid the fallen center that the loaves sometimes have is to bake a bundt cake pan (making one cake instead of 2 loaves). Just be sure to grease and flour the pan really well so that the cake doesn't stick. Good luck!
Anita says
This sweet bread is delicious! Love the spices.
HildaSterner says
Thanks, sweet Anita! One of these days I'll have to bring some over on one of the Monday night get-togethers! I still owe you some chokecherry syrup, I haven't forgotten!
Lora says
Will do! Great suggestion using applesauce. Should I reduce the sugar? There candid figs are super coated with layers of sugar? And yes, saw your recipe for candid figs, so next year, I will make my own! The hot dry summer we had in NC limited the figs this summer. Some family members used to make fig preserves and I need to do that now, as our precious generation family of canners are all with Chuck. ?
HildaSterner says
Yes, you can probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup or so. You can also rinse the extra sugar off the candied figs. Maybe that'll soften them up a bit too. Mine are cooked in syrup then dehydrated, but I don't add extra sugar.
Lora says
Hi Hilda - We purchased a stash of candied figs in Costa Rica this summer. Do u think they would work in this receipe? They are delicious, but much too sweet on their own. I have had fig cake from a friends mother and it was delicious, but never got the receipe. I am excited to tried yours!
When we visited my great-grandmother (Lora, my namesake) every summer , it was always an adventure to go out to the 3 large fig bushes (now as tall as some trees -- 50 years later) and pick the delicious ripe figs, one of our favorite summertime treats! So sweet to hear about your neighbor Chuck and how you shared the love of gardening! Let me know your thoughts or if you have any recipes using candied figs. Thanks so much! Lora R.
HildaSterner says
Hi Lora,
My mom had 3 fig trees, I have one, and I also had access to Chuck's tree, but really, can you ever have too many figs? I think not! I love candied figs. I actually have a recipe for them on my blog. They would be perfect in this recipe! The cake might be a little less moist than if you had used the fresh figs, but I think they'd work. You can always add about 1/4 cup of applesauce to put some of that moisture back in. I've found this recipe to be pretty forgiving. I've also used dried figs and fig jam when figs were out of season. Please try it and let me know how it goes!
Beverly says
I have been looking for some fig bread that you can use fig preserves in.
Do you think I could adjust this recipe to use my figs already preserved in it?
HildaSterner says
Yes you can. I would use less, however. Maybe 3/4 of a cup and reduce the sugar to 1 cup. Let me know how it goes!