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!
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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!
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😍 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!
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📖 Recipe
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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.
Blasilla Crasto says
It's the best bread I have eaten. It's so moist and yummy. Loved it. The spices just takes it to a different level.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Blasilla, I'm so glad you liked it, enjoy!
Janie Orchard says
I didn't think my figs were going to ripen this year as although the tree is always bountiful the weather in the UK isn't always conducive to delivering on plump ripe figs.
Suddenly this weekend, I had a decent crop. After a swift search this morning I found your recipe and everything about it appealed except my son can't have nuts. I read the reviews, skipped the nuts, ground my cardamom pods (all I had in the cupboard), doubled the quantity of figs and got baking. As a final touch, to make the figs the star of the show, I sliced a fig, placed on the top and drizzled with a little honey. What a delight it looks (I have tried to attach but I can't). And it is utterly divine! As soon as it came out of the oven I got the ladders and got as many more figs as I could and these are now bagged up in the freezer - enough for another 8+ loaves already and more to come.
Thank you!
Hilda Sterner says
Wow, you're so lucky to have so many figs. I'm so glad you like the recipe, enjoy!!
Jane says
This came out so delicious. Will save to favorites! Thank you.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Jane. I appreciate the review. Enjoy!
Farah says
Hi I made it is was so good thank u so much but I used whole wheat flour it was amazing
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Farah,
Thank you so much for the review. I'd love it if you rated it with the stars as well! I'm also glad to know that it tasted good with wheat flour too! I've never tried that before, so I'm glad you tested it out and it worked well for you!
Neela says
This is the best fig cake recipe ever! Very moist with a lovely crumb. I did make a few minor tweaks: only Used 1 cup of sugar, used organic coconut oil, 2cups diced figs and a mix of coconut cream/milk. Also I made it in a Bundt pan for only 45 minutes— perfect!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you for the review. I'm glad you liked the recipe. It's definitely a favorite amongst family and friends. I'm always worried that adding more figs would make the batter too wet and that it wouldn't rise. I'm glad you tested it out for me, haha. Thank you!
Donna Kelly says
This bread was amazing, and so easy!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you so much, Donna. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it!
ChocoFrog says
Best Fruit Bread Recipe ever. I doubled the figs and nuts, exchanged bourbon for half the milk. Awesome! Thank you
Hilda Sterner says
Wow, I love the changes that you made. I will definitely have to try that. Thank you so much for taking the time to review the recipe. ❤️
Kathy says
I made this recipe this evening. I didn't have cardamom, or nuts. I used more fresh figs in the recipe and added 1 tsp of vanilla. I will definitely add walnuts the next time I make it. I cooked this in a sheet cake pan on 350 and it was done in about 30 minutes. This cake is very good and so moist!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kathy. I appreciate your review. What would have made it a 5-star recipe?
Miriam says
Great article. I am going through some of these issues as well..
Lori H says
Hi, Looking forward to trying this as we have a lot of figs this year. Can you tell me what size loaf pans that you use?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Lori,
I use the typical 9"x5" pans. The recipe makes 2 loaves or 1 bundt cake. Looking forward to hearing what you think about the recipe!