This festive chocolate fig spiced cake is a more sophisticated version of your everyday chocolate cake. This cake is rich, dense, and loaded with chocolate and a spicy peppery hint of coffee. Perfect for occasions and festive seasons.
Despite the sophisticated look, this festive chocolate fig spiced cake is very simple to make and even easier to make.
The balance of the ingredients in this cake is what makes the difference. And makes this cake stand out from any regular chocolate cake recipe you tried before.
The coffee and dry figs enhance and balance the chocolate flavor of this cake. In addition to the dry apricots and spices that warm up this cake recipe with a tangy-sweet after taste.
For the chocolate glaze:
I drizzled a delicious aromatic chocolate sauce on top of this Bundt cake that adds a lot to the cake’s overall taste. You can skip the chocolate sauce on top but I highly recommend it.
This festive chocolate fig spiced cake is perfect to enjoy in festive seasons. I usually prepare a “boozier” version around Christmas with rum and whisky in it.
And during Ramadan season when I have people around for iftar or suhur. I prepare this version with no alcohol in it for my non-alcoholic drinker friends.
they enjoy this cake with some hot Moroccan tea aside after iftar or on suhur time.
Can I use other dry fruits?
I like to use dry figs in this festive chocolate fig spiced cake because they have a naturally sweet taste with a slight acidity in them and they have a chewy delicious texture to add to my baking. But you can replace figs with any of your favorite dry fruits. Add the same amount and don’t skip the soaking in coffee part. And you can experiment from there with what you like more to your taste.
For the boozier version
During Christmas, I like to prepare the same chocolate cake recipe but with an extra splash of booze in it. I usually like to add some brandy or some rum. Just 2 tbsp of the booze is enough.
More tips for baking in Bundt cake
Many people are intimidated by baking a Bundt cake and they feel it is difficult to get the Bundt cake out of the pan without breaking it. Here are a few tips on how to bake and handle your Bundt cakes for a perfect festive chocolate fig spiced cake :
– Use a high-quality Bundt pan. My favorite one is the Nordic ware Bundt cakes. They are heavy cast aluminum, non-stick, with heavy walls, with a hole in the center, and the gold platinum exterior that ensures a superior braking performance with a uniform browning and crispy details of their beautiful designs.
– Grease and flour your pan well: butter your tin generously. I like to use a brush and some softened butter for this step so I can brush and get into all the small crevices. Then I sprinkle a couple of tbsp of flour or cocoa powder or any powder used in the recipe and rotate the tin while tapping vigorously on it to coat all the butter. Then shake the excess flour.
– After you add your batter to the pan: give it a good two or three hard taps on your working surface to make sure you release any remaining bubbles from the small cervices this way you can a crispier detail.
– Once the cake is baked: let it rest for 10 minutes before flipping and removing it from the pan. But don’t leave it for more than 10 minutes. Those 10 minutes are the perfect timing to remove and make sure it is not too soon or too late.
– Use a knife or metal spatula to release the edge and make sure you don’t have any tears when you flip the cake.
– Bundt pan size: in this recipe, you can use a 10 or 12 cups Bundt pan. Your batter should fill ¾ of the pan, if it fills more then you should use a bigger pan.
Making ahead and storing this cake
this cake will stay fresh in a cake stand or any container with a lid for up to 5 days but I found that keeping it for only 3 days on the countertop is the best time frame for the flavor and texture of the cake before it starts to change.
But you can also store the cake in a closed container in the fridge after it cools down completely and store your sauce separately in this case. it can stay good up to 5-6 days. When you want to serve from the fridge, let your cake sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
You can also prepare this cake in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. And whenever you want to serve this cake, just let it thaw in the fridge overnight then bring it to room temperature 30 minutes before drizzling the sauce and serving. I don’t recommend freezing the chocolate sauce. But you can store it in the fridge for 2 days and warm it up when you want to drizzle it on low heat. You might need to add 1 or 2 tbsp of milk to loosen d it up to drizzling consistency.
you can check more festive recipes that you will love for your Ramadan iftar feasts at this link
and make sure to check also my delicious carob molasses and turmeric sfouf cake recipe for more cakes ideas.
Festive Chocolate fig spiced Bundt cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 100 g. dried figs chopped
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee or hot water
- 200 g. butter softened
- 200 g. granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g. milk
- 75 g. yogurt
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 250 g. all-purpose flour
- 75 g. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp ground allspice or sweet pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 40 g. chopped dried apricot
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder for dusting figs with and extra for dusting pan with
For the chocolate glaze
- 200 g. semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp espresso powder of instant coffee powder optional
- 1 ½ tbsp orange blossom water
Instructions
for the cake
- Prepare pan: Heat oven to 180°C. Spray or grease a heavy non-stick 10-12 cup fluted tube/bundt pan with cooking spray or butter. Dust lightly with cocoa powder
- Soak Figs: In medium bowl, stir chopped figs and warm coffee; set aside.
- Cream butter & sugar: In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in Eggs & aromatics: Beat in eggs, vanilla. mix the milk and yogurt together and Slowly add to the egg mixture while mixing and then add the orange zest (do not worry if the mixture gets a little curdled)
- Add Dry Ingredients: Beat in 1¾ cups flour, cocoa, spices, baking soda, and baking powder on low speed until mixed.
- Drain Figs & add coffee to batter: Remove figs from and set aside, reserving coffee. Slowly mix in reserved coffee only batter. Pour batter into pan.
- Add fruit to batter: Pat figs dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them and the apricot with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and toss to coat. Sprinkle the figs and the apricot over batter in pan. Pull knife or skewer through batter to distribute fruit
- Bake: Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto plate or rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
for the glaze
- In a small sauce pan over low heat melt the chocolate chips and whisk together with the cream, coffee and vanilla extract.
- Once it’s smooth take off the heat and stir in the orange blossom.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before pouring it over the cake so that it has a thicker consistency and is easier to pour.
- Generously drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cut into pieces and serve.
Video
Notes
- Make-Ahead and storing: this cake will stay fresh in a cake stand or any container with a lid for up to 5 days but I found that keeping it for only 3 days on the countertop is the best time frame for the flavor and texture of the cake before it starts to change. But you can also store the cake in a closed container in the fridge after it cools down completely and store your sauce separately in this case. it can stay good up to 5-6 days. When you want to serve from the fridge, let your cake sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. You can also prepare this cake in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. And whenever you want to serve this cake, just let it thaw in the fridge overnight then bring it to room temperature 30 minutes before drizzling the sauce and serving.
- for the chocolate sauce: I don’t recommend freezing the chocolate sauce. But you can store it in the fridge for 2 days and warm it up when you want to drizzle it on low heat. You might need to add 1 or 2 tbsp of milk to loosen d it up to drizzling consistency. make sure you wait until the cake is cooed and the sauce is not too warm before drizzling it to the cake.
- substitutions: you can substitute the dry figs with any dry fruits to your liking and experiment with the taste. you can skip the chocolate sauce the cake is moist and delicious even without the sauce.
- Bundt cake pan tips: make sure you check my article above the recipe for the tips and tricks on how to bake in a Bundt cake without any tearing accidents
- other baking pan options: you can either bake it in a 10 or 12-cup Bundt cake pan like I did OR you can make it a layer cake instead. The recipe will make two 20 cm round layers. And you can prepare it as cupcakes but make sure to reduce the baking time. For cupcakes, 15 to 20 min baking is enough.