This skillet cake was divided into four pieces and eaten without apology. There was coffee: two cups each. There were a few dishes in the sink: no one cared. There was that dusty morning summer sun. So good! There was that thing I didnโt want to talk about: how my cellphone landed in the toilet and died rather unceremoniously. So bad.
Morning cake makes all the difference. Forever and always.
The key to this breakfast cakery is the melted butter.
Melted butter means that we donโt have to cream together butter and sugar in a stand mixer.
Not having to cream butter in a stand mixer means that we donโt have to bring out big kitchen gear in the morning.
Not having to pull out big kitchen gear in the morning means that we can enjoy coffee AND eat CAKE!! Science (not at all).
The top of this cake is adorned with fresh figs.
The inside of this cake is adorned with ground cardamom. Dreamy!
Wet ingredients + Dry ingredients. The remix. (Not reallyโฆ just the mix.)
Letโs bake this cake in a skillet. It feels more breakfasty that way, right?
The batter is fluffy and thickโฆ like an edible pillow for fresh figs and sliced almonds.
Donโt act like Iโm the only one that thinks about edible pillows.
Dream edible pillow: Chocolate Chip Brioche. No big deal.
Fresh figs, face up. Sliced almonds every which way. Turbinado sugar too!
This buttermilk skillet cake is a wonder in the oven. Itโs not finicky and precious. Itโs the kind of cake that doesnโt mind being slapped in a cast iron, topped with treats, and thrown in the oven. Itโs the sort of cake you can make at 9am with one eye open. Itโs forgivingโฆ thatโs what Iโm trying to say.
Weโre talking thick and moist.. not too sweet, but fig-topped and delicious. I love it!
Alsoโฆ if you wanted to top this cake with sliced peaches or pitted cherries, youโre smartโฆ you totally should!
Fresh Fig and Almond Breakfast Cake
makes 1 10-inch skillet cake
For the Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
For the Topping:
8- 10 fresh figs (depending on the size), sliced in half
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons turbinado (or granulated) sugar for topping
To make the cake:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch cast iron skillet. You can also use a 10-inch cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and sugar. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and butter. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extract.
Add the buttermilk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined and no lumps remain. Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Top batter with fresh figs, gently pressing the figs part-way into the batter. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and then sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before slicing to serve.
Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
172 Responses
Just made this today using some summer peaches and it was quite nice, though I regret listening to some of the reviews because I think I cooked it too long and it got a little dry. I think it may matter whether you used a cake tin or a cast iron skillet. I used a cast iron and I think 25 mins would have been perfect and stayed more moist. I had it with a bit of black tea with some cardamom and it was delightful. Not too sweet. A wonderful tea snack.
my cake also took 40 mins but i used a 10 โ pan successfully
Tardy to the party on this one but I do have a questionโฆ Iโve made this twice now (one with figs and one with peaches) and needed to bake twice as long as directed both times. Is it a typo or does my oven just suck?
My dad had a fresh fig tree and always peeled the figs! Can you eat the skin? I had no idea!
This is mouth watering. Definitely making this as my Sunday Breakfast.
I made this with the pear + pecan variation you recommended in your IG story/Let It Be Sunday, but both times I made it (it was really tasty), the dough was uncooked at the top under the pears and in the middle. I even left it in for about 10 minutes longer than the max suggestion, covered to prevent burning the top but it got dried out around the edges. What am I doing wrong?
This is amazing! Made it this morning. Moist and delicious. I subbed a cup of local Maine Abenaki flint corn meal for 1 c. of the white flour. Makes it a bit denser and a bit healthier. Thanks, Joy!
utterly delicious! however after 35 minutes I turned my oven up to 400 and baked it for another 10 minutes. That did the trick. served it with a generous dollop of greek yogurt and the whole thing was wolfed down by my family within minutes!
oh and i substituted one cup of flour with one cup of almond flour.
I came across some beautiful figs in the store this week so I just I made this cake. It was really simple to make and delicious, but it took at least twice as long as the recipe said to bake. I used a 10โณ pan and it came out a lot thicker than I anticipated, too โ wondering if maybe the skillet used here was 12โณ rather than 10โณ.
I make this every year when our fig tree starts busting out the fruit. I use 2 cups almond flour and 1/2 cup AP flour. It is delicious and a bit more guilt-free- just in case anyone else is trying to cut down on their gluten.
Just made this cake for breakfast. It was very delicious! It was my in-laws wedding anniversary. Thanks for the recipe!
Just made this! No figs in the house, but apples worked nicely. Just that touch of almond extract really makes it so much better. Fantastic texture. Needed 40 mins in the oven, and got a perfect crust. Yum yum.
Picked a bowl full of figs from a friendโs tree and gave this cake a try tonight. I turned it into cakelets using a muffin tin- breakfast cake AND single serving! So delicious!! The cake is moist, not too sweet and wonderfully almond scented. I will definitely be making this again- maybe with cherries or plum to mix it up outside of fighting season.
What about plums?
You can, itโs going to be a different thing. But yeah.
I have made this numerous times with figs and with cherries and tonight I just put it in the oven with cranberries on top. Fingers crossed!
This is so good! I used while wheat flour and honey instead of sugar and we LOVED it. It will be bookmarked and baked again and again!
Absolutely delicious โ most but firm and the sticky figs poking out the top are superb. But like others I had to bake for much longer (55 mins) โ a larger cake tin would have made for a better ratio of fruit to cake I thinkโฆwhich gives me an excuse to make it again and make the most of my fig trees!
If fresh figs arenโt in the market.. What is a good sub? Thanks :)
can i use dried fig instead of fresh onesโฆ.
Yes you can Fauzia, I think that will be great!
I have fresh figs, but they are frozen. Would I be able to use them? Wish Iโd found this recipe back in July when I picked them.
I made it. The next time I will add more sugar to the batter, maybe a 1/4 cup.
When I was backpacking in California, I stayed in a hostel where the owner baked several cakes every morning for peopleโs breakfasts. It remains one of my best holiday memories.
This looks like my perfect cake for anytime of dayโฆyum.
Breakfast + cake. Letโs just stop right there and start eating.
anyone have predictions on how this might work with almond flour subbed in for a gluten-free version?
I made this cake today. It was good and easy. Like the other commentator, mine took 40-45 minutes to bake, and I had to turn down the oven partly through to make sure that the top didnโt burn. The cake was also really thick, and it needed a fruit topping after it was served in order to add some interest. I wonder if the authorโs skillet pan is actually 13 inches?
I used figs on one half of the cake and peaches on the other half, and the figs turned out slightly better. The peaches tended to dry out after that much time in the oven. Peaches made for a great topping, though.
I made this over Labor Day weekend for a lazy Sunday morning brunch. It was amazing! Figs donโt grow down here in S. Florida, but this time of year I make as many things as possible with fresh figs when theyโre available in season from CA. This is not my first recipe from your blog that I made, but it is the first that I shared with others. After your Honeycomb Candy (aka Sponge Candy) post I was hooked as everytime I bake my husband clears out of the kitchen and pretends not to hear me when I yell that whatever Iโm making is a complete disaster. I love reading your posts! Thanks.
Just made this cake yesterday for a brunch and got stellar reviews! And it was a pretty fast/easy recipe to follow for a novice baker. My modifications โ I doubled the cardamom, used a little more buttermilk to rectify some dry-looking batter, used less sugar for topping, and had to bake it for closer to 40-45 minutes. Next time, I think Iโll add more figs to the middle of the cake. Thanks for the great recipe!!
The third time around, I swapped out the last half cup of flour for almond flour (ie raw, unbleached sliced almonds put through a cycle in my coffee grinder). I also sliced the figs into thinner rounds to have 2 layers of figs. Definitely the best itโs turned out so far โ moist and flavorful!
I have a 14 or 15 inch skillet. Do you think I could just do 1.5 x the recipe and it would work?
Hi Joy! I made this delicious cake, but the center refuses to cook through so itโs a little โbatteryโ in the middle. I donโt want the outside to be dry. Any tips or issues. Thanks!
OMG, I want that! I canโt even fathom how awesome this cake is, with cardamom and almonds and figs and baked in a skillet. Yum!!!
beautiful cake! question though, did you really only bake it for 25 minutes?? mine came out super goopy in the centerโฆ halp!
bake it for longer! every oven is different.
My attempt at this cake is currently in the oven, and I canโt wait to dig in, but I guess Iโll have to since raw scalding hot cake would be not yummy. I used figs from my backyard tree and the buttermilk I had leftover from making that lovely sweet berry lime cake (that I may or may not have eaten all by myself).
Thanks for providing all the great recipes!
Yum! I tweaked this a little bit because I am 762 months pregnant and I knew what โthe babyโ wanted. I added a few tablespoons of extra sugar to the batter, because I wanted it a little sweeter and then added just a splash more vanilla and sprinkle more cardamom. I ate it for dinner last night and for breakfast this morning, โthe babyโ thinks it was delicious and will likely eat it for lunch too.
Iโd love a slice of this for breakfast tomorrow!
What a dreamy cake for a dreamy morning. Beautiful.
What do you think about doing this cake with mangoes?
This cake looks so good! I love the idea of baking it in a cast iron skillet. So homey. <3 pinned!
That looks absolutely delicious and I havenโt had figs in forever. I think I need to go buy some figs!
I seriously want to climb through the interwebs into your kitchen and eat everything you make.
In times likes these is when I wish I was back in Portugal and could easily pick figs from my grandfatherโs orchard anytime Iโm craving my favorite fruit. This cake looks like my best friend!
I was so excited to try this with my figs from my CSA box. Unfortunately, it did not turn out well at all. For one thing, it wouldnโt bake through. It was in the oven for more than an hour and still wasnโt completely baked in the middle. I think there was so much moisture from the figs that it impacted the batter. Also, the amount of sugar called for to sprinkle on top is way too much. It creates a solid caking of sugar crust, perhaps another reason it didnโt bake properly? The cake itself isnโt quite sweet enough for me. Itโs more mealy, like a pancake, than sweet like a cake, even a breakfast cake. Iโm afraid that this is one for the trashcan for me. :-(
it sounds like you had the exact opposite cake experience.
Well itโs 10:30 pm and I just popped it in the oven! Breakfast will be waiting and ready! Super easy to make โ thought I had almonds in the cupboard โ thought wrong โ added more figs in a flower shape. Thanks for the post Joy!
Iโm on a quest to track down fresh figs so I can try this โ it looks fantastic, especially with the almonds. And I love the suggestion of using melted butter. Like you said, so handy for mornings or for weeknight desserts when you just donโt want to deal with the extra appliances or bowls.
Cake for breakfast?? Love it
Cake! In a skillet! For BREAKfast!! Only one question โ any way to put wheat flour in there? Or cornmeal? Anything to make me feel just a teensy bit fuller for longer?
I was also wondering this- if a combo of almond flour/whole wheat flour would work and what would need to be changed if doing it this way?
Brilliant!
breakfast cake โ thatโs just one of the reasons l love you so muchโฆ
Now this sounds like my kind of cake! If only I had known about it when my sister and I doled out six bucks for a small basket of figs. Ah well, maybe Iโll try it with peaches as you suggested (or shell out another six bucks for more figs). Thatโs pretty smart to butter and flour the skillet โ I never would have thought of that. :)
Put that cell phone in a bowl of uncooked rice; I mean BURY it. Let it sit over night and it should be good to go. Unless you were just waiting for it to die so you could get an upgrade ;).
I will make this yummers of a cake as soon as I can get my hands on some fresh figsโฆ
Breakfast cake? I am all over it!!! THANKS!
Love these breakfast fruit cakes! Iโve made strawberry and peach before and will have to try this heavenly looking fig one soon! Thanks, Joy!
My goodness, awesome. Definitely thinking cherries! It is completely gorgeous by the by :]. .. oh and phone death by toilet. Been there. .it sucks. A lot. Sorry.
oh wow. that looks like my dream breakfast cake. Would totally have a pillow made out of it.
Also, where did you get your skillet? I NEED to get myself one but Iโm not sure where is best to get a good quality skillet.
Teffy { Teffys Perks Blog }
Xx
great pictures . I really like it
I love anything that gives me a valid excuse to eat cake for breakfast!
I wish I had seen this sooner โ just got back to Thailand for a whileโฆand O OVEN
Iโm not really a fan of figs, but this cake looks fantastic! I would love to try this
If I wanted to use a muffin tin for this to get individual cakes,would it work? Should I only check time or also temp?
Whenever you combine the words โbreakfastโ and โcakeโ youโve got my attention!
A ground cardamom adorned cake is always a good thing in my books. & oh man, no I HADNโT thought of edible pillows before but now I canโt stop. You are SO on the money with chocolate chip brioche. I do, however, often think of cake facials. You want something not too spikey to plant your face intoโฆlemon meringue pie would be ideal.
Heidi xo
OH my, this looks delicious! Iโm going to go to bed dreaming of this tonightโฆand want to eat it in the morning, although I have no fresh figs in the house :-( Am going shopping tommorrow for some for sure!) Just wondering, would natural yogurt work ok instead of buttermilk? I only ask because I always have it in the house, as I use it in place of buttermilk when making sodabreadโฆ.
yogurt with a bit of water is a great substitution for buttermilk!
I love the way you think. I love the way you write. I love the way you cook.
This looks delicious.!I happen to have a huge container of figs on my counter. Now, I just bacon-birthday on Friday (bacon ice cream with candied bacon and bacon caramel, bacon jam, and bacon wrapped figs) but this isnโt really too bad for me. Is it? I mean, figs are totally heart healthy..
fig and cardamom combo sounds incredible. youโre photos are also just so beautiful!
This looks so delicious. Could I sub plain yogurt for the buttermilk?
you can!
Excited for this! Never enjoyed fresh figs until this year and Iโm loving attempting different recipes with them. This looks absolutely delicious!!
Almonds and figs and cardamom and melted butterโฆoh my goodness. This looks ridiculously good.
This looks delicious! Does anyone know where I can buy fresh figs in Boston? They donโt have them in my grocery store.
Where are you located? Here in Cali theyโre freely available. Try Whole foods. When I was in NY, I could find them in late summer at coops and natural food markets. If you cant find them, Iโd still give the recipe a go with some sort of stone fruit (I think peaches would be great here) The figs make for a beautiful presentation but the cardamom and almonds would go so well with so many things!
This looks really amazing! I love this idea and I want to make it so bad. I had a few fig newtons yesterday and I forgot how much I loved them! So if the filling does justice to actual figs, then I canโt wait to eat this :)
This is my kind of breakfast. Love figs, love almonds and I love breakfast โ Iโve got to try this.
This looks heavenly! Wish I could taste it x
Just scavenged figs from my neighborhood on an early morning walk, saw your post went out grabbed more and made this cake. Canโt wait to try it tomorrow. It looks and smells delish.
Gorgeous! This cake looks so deliciousโฆlove those figs!
Oh my god. -yes-
yes this is perfect.
Love this โ what a delightful combo!
Just took this out of the oven and so excited to try it! Only comment is that I had to add at least 10 extra minutes to my cake. Looks super tasty. :)
YUM!!!!
Yum. Since I am not a morning person, Iโd so love to have something like thisโฆ.well any time other than mornings! You had my attention at the mention of coffee! I am such a coffee junkie itโs not even funny. I tried to quit a couple of times. I did well for some time, fell off the wagon, then got right back to the addiction. Itโs terrible. Something like this would probably feel incomplete without a cup or two of coffee!
Oh my breakfast never looks this good! How wonderful and delicious it looks and no doubt tastes!
Ommyy, this cake looks so ridiculously good, tempted to rush and bake it now, but I am sitting in the bart and staring at the recipeโฆ.pinned it instead, will get to it the moment I reach my kitchen.
Cake for breakfast โ YES! Peaches added โ -ohhh YESS!!
Okay, I want this now. In my belly.
Figs and cardamom are just a beautiful combo. Iโd cry if I dropped my phone in the toilet too, so breakfast cake and coffee are a must. I understand.
hey Joy โ question for you. Whenever I make cakes with melted butter like this, the butter always seizes up and gets chunky when I add it to the other wet ingredients. Why? Do I need to wait longer for the melted butter to cool before adding it? Is there another trick Iโm missing?
This looks great. I must say I made your Blueberry Orange Pancakes for a crowd of college kids! YUM! Thumbs up all around!
I absolutely love that there are fresh figs in these! I have been looking at all of my local grocery stores for them and canโt not find. Still looking though!
Oh my. I love fresh figs more than any other fruit, so I think Iโm going to have to get my hands on some of this cake immediately! NOM.
yes please to cake for breakfast!
This cake is gorgeous! I love that it is cooked in a cast iron skillet โ so rustic and pretty. And Iโm so sorry about your phone :(
Oh Joy! Your work is always so inspired. I am finding it hard to get inspired in the kitchen latelyโฆ Lots of delicious cookies and cocktails but nothing awe inspiring! How do you get inspired everyday? Is biking in Venice my best bet? Thanks lady!
this looks overwhelmingly delicious and perfect!
xx
Those figs! Swoon!!
This reminds me somewhat of your roasted fig oatmeal. I often make baked oatmeal; I bet you could pop that in a skillet and it would turn out nice and pillowy too!
breakfast cake? love this!
Hell yes! This I would totally have for breakfast. And, yeah, baking it in a skillet totally makes it a morning treat.
Sad I will have to wait for the weekend to come around again to make this for breakfastโฆ Oh Monday, you are killing me.
Love itโalways looking for a great breakfast cake and I can imagine this being fabulous with a big brunch with friends and family.
Iโm always in for cake for breakfast. Iโve never worked with fresh figs before, this maybe the golden opportunity!
I wait all year for my fig tree to start bearing fruit and itโs almost time. Canโt wait to make this!
This looks so good itโs unreal! RIP cell phone :(
Great way to start the day! Figs are so volupt! I am making drunken peaches tomorrow at friendโs farm.
What a gorgeous and delicious breakfast!
I practically require breakfast goods not be made with softened butter because Iโm hungry when I wake up! This cake is perfect for the weekend! xo
wow, I want some please! I love fresh figs, canโt wait until they appear at the market again :)
Stop it right now. This looks insane. Pairing two of my favorite food together almonds and figs. NEED to make this asap.
xo Quinn
Quinn Cooper Style
What a beautiful cake! Arenโt figs just the prettiest? The perfect breakfast.
Dang, wish I had this for breakfast!!
Hi Joyโฆdo you ever have issues with the cake bottom being too dark because of iron skillet? Thanks. This looks ridiculous!
Yum- this looks yummy!!!!
This looks delicious. The only problem is that if I make it thereโs no way itโs lasting 3 days in a fridge lol.
totally. i understand you.
Cake for breakfast means a good dang day.
Woooow this cake looks great! We are hungry!!!
https://inatrendytown.blogspot.com.es/
Well this puts my pathetic cherry pop tart to shame. Makes me want to leave work and go back home to bake breakfast.
cherry pop tarts totally have their place in the world.
Breakfast cake. Yep. Iโm in. Love the cardamom in there, especially โ inspired flavour combo. Thanks!
This cake looks AMAZING but itโs really difficult to get fresh figs where I live overseas. Do you suggest any other types of fruit, and would you change the spices if using a different fruit? Thanks!!
I can pretty much smell how fragrant this is. Figs are one of the prettiest fruit in the world. And yes, I think of edible pillows almost every day.
I didnโt even need to read the recipe to love this. I was sold at the concept of breakfast cake. Figs and almonds sound delightfully breakfasty! No more breakfast indecision, I can eat cake everyday, right?
Breakfast cake sound so good right about now.
On a completely unrelated note you were totally in my dream last night! You were doing a book signing in Newcastle (England) in a furniture shop (?!) and I happened to be shopping for bedside tables.
You shouted my name across the shop and told me how much you loved my blog! Ha!
Rather random but lovely all the same.
Have a lovely day! :) x
melted butter is the best way ( in my opinion) of getting a tight but fluffy crumb to cake. The topping is so versatile too! I could think of all the combs that could top this from the trashy to the sophisticated.
Oh my god, Iโve just woken up to this, and now Iโm hungry, but I canโt make this cake yet because Iโm on a stupid diet! Why do I torture myself by looking at your food?
X
I love using melted butter (or oil) in cakes and recipes whenever possible rather than creaming. Not having to wash a big mixer bowl and attachment is time and sanity saver. Just one less step on the road to eating cake, and itโs appreciate. Gorgeous job on the cake!
This looks delicious! Iโm in France at the moment and have lots of fresh figs so this will be perfect. Only problem is I donโt think I can get hold of any buttermilk, do you know what could I use instead?
you could use yogurt diluted down with a bit of water. Happy Baking!