This Sephardic Flourless Almond Fig Cake is perfect for Passover, or is a tasty gluten-free dessert all year!
Passover desserts don’t always have the best reputation (except my beloved chocolate caramel matzah crunch, of course.)
Without using flour, and often without baking powder or dairy, it can be a tricky to find a chametz-free sweet that doesn’t feel like a plague. (LOL)
But how beautiful is this Sephardic Flourless Almond Fig Cake?? And would you believe it is naturally gluten free- made with almond flour and whipped egg whites to keep things light?
Kissed with a hint of orange and cardamom for a slightly tart, warm and earthy flavor. And of course, topped with lots of California Dried Figs for a stunning presentation, so your post-Seder dessert looks as good as it tastes.
Don’t you want to dive in?? (This cake below is raw so don’t do that.)
But tada! The baked version is just as stunning. I love how the presentation is so pretty too. This Flourless Almond Fig Cake is not too sweet, so the leftovers make a great breakfast. You can have your cake and eat it (for breakfast) too. Or something like that.
The perfect slice! And no need to wait until Pesach, this cake is tasty all year.
Flourless Almond Fig Cake
Ingredients
- Butter or oil for greasing the pan
- 6 large eggs, cold
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- Zest from 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup Orchard Choice Golden Dried Figs, stems removed and halved (fresh works too!)
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prep a 9-inch springform pan by greasing the pan with butter or oil and lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites while the eggs are cold (it’s easier to separate that way) and then bring them to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Then add ¼ cup of granulated sugar and a pinch of salt and beat to stiff peaks. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with remaining ½ cup granulated sugar.
- Then add orange juice, orange zest and vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Lastly, add cardamom, salt and flour and mix just until combined and no lumps remain.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the almond flour mixture just until combined, careful not to over mix.
- Pour the batter evenly into your prepped cake pan.
- Top evenly with sliced California Dried Figs and sprinkle almonds along the boarder.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes and then remove the pan sides and cool completely.
- Slice using a serrated knife to easily slice through the fig pieces.
- Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Could I make this with fresh figs (my fig tree overfloweth ☺️)? Any recommended adjustments?
Yes! I haven’t tried it but some readers have and it turned out great! One person had an issue with the bake time being too long, so just watch that.