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 didn’t 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 don’t have to cream together butter and sugar in a stand mixer.
Not having to cream butter in a stand mixer means that we don’t 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 really… just the mix.)
Let’s bake this cake in a skillet. It feels more breakfasty that way, right?
The batter is fluffy and thick… like an edible pillow for fresh figs and sliced almonds.
Don’t act like I’m 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. It’s not finicky and precious. It’s the kind of cake that doesn’t mind being slapped in a cast iron, topped with treats, and thrown in the oven. It’s the sort of cake you can make at 9am with one eye open. It’s forgiving… that’s what I’m trying to say.
We’re talking thick and moist.. not too sweet, but fig-topped and delicious. I love it!
Also… if you wanted to top this cake with sliced peaches or pitted cherries, you’re smart… 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.
Jenna
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.
erin
my cake also took 40 mins but i used a 10 ” pan successfully
Megan P.
Tardy to the party on this one but I do have a question… I’ve 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?
Nicole
My dad had a fresh fig tree and always peeled the figs! Can you eat the skin? I had no idea!
Martin Huang
This is mouth watering. Definitely making this as my Sunday Breakfast.
Claire
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?
Kate Cone
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!