Recipes Desserts Chocolate Desserts Chocolate Cakes Chocolate and Fig Cake 5.0 (12) 11 Reviews Baker and cookbook author Yossy Arefi’s rich, fudgy chocolate cake is topped with slices of seasonal fresh figs that lend a jammy finish to every bite. By Yossy Arefi Updated on September 27, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Active Time: 25 mins Cool Time: 2 hrs Total Time: 3 hrs Servings: 8 Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake Jump to recipe Fresh figs form a beautiful, jammy layer atop this dense, fudgy chocolate cake.Unsweetened cocoa and chopped 70% bittersweet chocolate deliver deep, intense chocolate flavor.Use four ounces of figs for a delicate ring of fruit, or up to 12 ounces for more generous fig coverage. Brooklyn-based baker, cookbook author, and photographer Yossy Arefi wrote a whole cookbook dedicated to seasonal fruit-based desserts, called Sweeter off the Vine. This beautiful chocolate fig cake from that book is a celebration of early fall, when farmers markets are full of fresh figs and the nip in the air calls for a luscious chocolate dessert. It’s also quite beginner-friendly, with no frosting or complicated assembly to contend with. You’re essentially making a rich, fudgy, intensely chocolatey cake with both unsweetened cocoa powder and 70% bittersweet chocolate, then arranging fresh fig slices in a circular pattern over the batter before putting it all in the oven. The relatively short bake time leaves the center slightly soft while turning the fig slices into a jammy topping. Cooking with figs Fresh figs have a relatively short season from late summer to early fall, so make the most of them when you find them. Their sweetness works in both savory and sweet dishes: Serve them in a salad with blue cheese and prosciutto, braise them with chicken and lemon, work them into a black olive tapenade, or pickle them with balsamic vinegar to enjoy alongside grilled meats for months to come. There are hundreds of fig varieties around the world, and American farmers markets may carry several, including Mission, Brown Turkey, Tiger, Sierra, and Kadota figs. They vary in color, sweetness, texture, and season, but any fresh fig will work beautifully in this cake. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen The large range of figs called for in this recipe leaves the decoration and texture of the finished cake up to you: Four ounces of figs creates two small rings around the cake, while the full 12 ounces of fruit will cover the entire top with a jammy layer and require a few more minutes in the oven to fully bake.Choose Mission figs for a sweet, jammy bite or juicier, velvety Brown Turkey figs for a milder taste — or mix varieties. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings 1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces), melted and cooled to room temperature, plus more for greasing 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/4 ounces), plus more for dusting 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (about 1 5/8 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup chopped 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate (2 1/2 ounces) 4 to 12 ounces fresh figs, stemmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices Powdered sugar, for garnish Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan or round cake pan with butter. If using a springform pan, line bottom with parchment paper and grease parchment with butter. Dust pan and parchment with flour, tapping out excess. If using a round cake pan, make easy-lift handles out of parchment paper: Cut 2 strips of parchment that extend beyond the edges of the pan and overlap them, forming an “X” shape. Place in bottom of buttered pan, top with parchment round, and grease paper with butter. Dust pan and parchment with flour, tapping out excess. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat granulated sugar and butter with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until batter lightens in color and is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold in flour mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in chopped chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top using an offset spatula. Place 2 to 3 fig slices, slightly overlapping, in center of cake. Arrange remaining fig slices, slightly overlapping, in a circle around cake, about 1/2 inch from edge of pan. Bake cake in preheated oven until just set but still slightly jiggly in center, 34 to 38 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. If using a springform pan, gently run an offset spatula around edge of pan and carefully remove sides. If using a round cake pan, let cake cool completely before using handles to gently remove cake from pan. (Center will remain slightly soft even when cool.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with unsweetened whipped cream. Make ahead Cake can be made up to one day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Originally appeared: September 2021 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.