If you read the companion article, you will realize all the health benefits of figs and cautions. From digestive health, vascular and cardiac health, figs are a good source of nutrition.

You can have them for breakfast or snack when you combine them with some bananas, milk and orange juice and whip them into a smoothie. Or combine with some yogurt and even a touch of honey for a good variation. Include them with berries and granola.

If you want a fancy appetizer, stuff figs with some creamy bleu cheese, like gorgonzola, and warm them in an oven. Include them on your charcuterie board. Put some goat cheese on top of a halved fig and top with a few pine nuts. Combine them with olives as a tapenade.

Fig Spice Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried figs
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Place the figs into a saucepan, cover with water, and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. Drain and cool, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
• Cut the figs into 1/4 inch cubes; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the reserved fig liquid and buttermilk; set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Stir in the chopped figs and walnuts. Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Another Version

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 10 ounce jar fig preserves, large pieces cut up
• Chopped dried figs (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of two 9×1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper; grease the paper. Lightly flour pans. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, salt, and ginger; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add cooking oil; add sugar; beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beating on low speed after until combined. Stir in fig preserves. Pour into prepared pans, spreading evenly.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; remove parchment paper. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Top with cream cheese frosting and garnish with dried figs.