Skip to content
Open menu Close menu

Feed your appetite for cooking with Penguin’s expert authors

Felicity Cloake's gluten and dairy-free dense almond cake is the perfect treat for afternoon tea. This Mediterranean-inspired recipe is delicious with Greek yoghurt.

From the book

Felicity Cloake

Introduction

I’m a sucker for a dense, moist almond cake – my standard recipe, the sticky orange version in my second book, Perfect Host, also includes semolina flour, but this one is all nut, which makes it satisfyingly sweet and squidgy. It’s more of a dessert cake than a teatime slice, with a vaguely southern Mediterranean or Middle Eastern feel to it thanks to the olive oil and dried figs. You can continue the theme by serving it with thick Greek yoghurt, although I like the tanginess of crème fraiche. Interested parties should note that this is both gluten and dairy free.

Read more Read less

Ingredients

4 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
8 whole dried figs
For the cake:
300g ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
3 large eggs
120ml honey
120ml olive oil

Essential kit

You will need a 20cm cake tin.

Method

1. Stir the 4 tablespoons of honey into 4 tablespoons of boiling water and add the lemon juice and figs. Leave to soak for at least an hour.

2. Heat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3 and grease and line a 20cm cake tin.

3. Put the almonds, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine and break up any clumps. Whisk together the eggs, honey and olive oil in a separate bowl, then stir into the dry ingredients.

4. Pour into the prepared tin and arrange the figs on top, reserving the soaking liquid. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until golden brown on top, and firmish.

5. Use a cocktail stick to poke a few small holes in the top of the cake and pour over the fig soaking liquid, waiting for the cake to absorb each dose before adding more. Allow to cool completely before

Reviews

4 out of 5 stars

1 Ratings

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.

In the case of any queries, our team will aim to respond as soon as possible.

Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.

2 Comments

    default user avatar Anna.

    Can l use fresh figs instead as they are in season?
    I haven’t made the cake as yet?

    See more

    default user avatar The Happy Foodie Team

    Hi Anna,

    Thanks for your comment. Yes, you could use fresh figs. Instead of soaking them, you could toss them in some honey and lemon juice and let sit for 20 minutes. Fresh figs will also add more moisture, so the cake might take a few minutes longer to bake; make sure to check with a skewer if the inside of the cake is baked.

    The Happy Foodie Team.

    See more

newsletter

Subscribe to The Happy Foodie email newsletter

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week