Fig, Almond, and Raspberry Yogurt Cake

It's my first time trying fresh figs. Alice is yelling at me, "You're mad, bonkers, off your head!" I know... These juicy, succulent, sweet delicacies, why didn't I go out in a mad search for these earlier?

I've been eager to work with fresh figs before the summer season began. My only experiences with figs are using the 'Chinese method'; adding dried figs to Chinese soups (which are usually broths) for sweetness and flavour. Eating fresh ones is completely foreign to my family. So are a lot of other foods; I constantly open my parents' eyes to new and exciting food. 

My neighbour has a fig tree in their backyard, and over the years, its branches have grown over to our backyard. For those that love figs, this would be a dream come true. However, I didn't know when the right time was to pick the fruit so we ended up with starchy, unripe figs in our mouth every time we decided to cut one open. That discouraged us from picking anymore. 

A bowl of fresh Black Mission Figs

During my last visit to our local Superstore, I scored a box of black mission figs for only two dollars! These babies could easily cost five dollars or more. Cha-ching! Finally, I can experiment with these luscious fruits. Hmm... with ricotta, in a muffin, or simply roasted? I can't decide. 

Beautiful, soft insides of a fig

A ripe fig should be soft and its thin skin should almost be wrinkly. A really delicious fig may have syrup beginning to drip out from the bottom end. The downside to purchasing from a grocery store is that the figs may not have been picked at its peak ripeness.

I was surprised at the soft, almost jelly-like flesh of fresh figs. Like dates, it's like nature's candy. It's unlike any other fruit I've tried and this made me very eager to get on with incorporating them into some recipes. After an evening of brainstorming a list of ideas, I decided to begin with a simple yogurt cake, pairing the figs with a drizzle of honey.

Grab a slice!

This cake is moist, flavourful, and fragrant. The yogurt replaces much of the fat while keeping the cake moist. That leaves us with only a quarter cup of coconut oil in an entire cake! I wished the figs had more time to roast and shrivel up a bit more; that would increase the sweetness of the fruit. But even after a bit of cooking in the oven, the figs provided much of the flavour and sweetness necessary for the cake. A sprinkle of sliced almonds gives a bit of textural contrast, and everything is better with some nuts ;)Raspberries give a pop of bright colour to the cake. It's the first time frozen raspberries haven't failed my entire baked good, I haven't had great experiences with using frozen raspberries... ahem. The hidden magic comes from the Meyer lemon zest. A Meyer lemon makes all the difference. The concoction of aroma coming from the oven while this cake is baking is mind-blowing. Ripe fruit, coconut, caramelizing honey, and zingy zest are all present.

A slice of Fig, Almond, and Raspberry Yogurt Cake

I've even healthified it by replacing some of the flour with whole wheat flour, wouldn' be a recipe from Coconut Crumpet without it being guiltless. Low in fat, sugar, increased fibre, and flavoured with fruits and nuts, this makes a fantastic afternoon snack or dessert. It's also very classy and would impress adults. Oh ho ho! Reheat a portion of this cake in the oven and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, honeyed yogurt, or whipped cream and top with a few quarters of fresh fig. De-lish.

Time to dig in!

Click below to view the recipe!

1st Tier: French Onion Crab Dip and Healthy Tuna Salad

Need something quick to stuff into your sandwich or a few appetizers for your guests to nibble on? Below are two quick and versatile recipes! 

You never know when you'll get inspiration to create some delicious food. It may not always be gourmet, but it's still a crowd pleaser. My mom got this two ingredient Crab Dip idea from Costco when she was eating a sample. On the day of my Mother's Day High Tea, I forgot to put this together earlier and had to do it as our guests were arriving. Luckily, it literally takes under 5 minutes to do.

French Onion Crab Dip

Yield: ~2 to 3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 small package of imitation crab meat
• 1 small box of Heluva Good French Onion dip

Directions

1. Chop crab meat into very small pieces. About half centimetre cubes.
2. Mix crab meat with dip until evenly distributed.
3. Serve with Mary's Organic Crackers. They are my favourite, and my grandma's new found favourite!

-♡-

This tuna salad recipe is so quick and easy, it's almost ridiculous. I usually make this when there is a big tub of yogurt or assorted veggies that need to be eaten. It's as healthy as a tuna salad can get!

Healthy Tuna Salad

Adapted from an old recipe I found online

Yield: Enough to fill 3 sandwiches

Ingredients 

• 1 (6 oz) can of tuna 
• About ½ cup thinly chopped vegetables of your choice (ex. celery, carrot, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, corn kernels)
• ¼ cup plain yogurt 
• 2 tbsp sweet relish 
• 1 green onion, or fresh chopped herbs 
• ½ tsp mustard Freshly ground black pepper

 Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Adjust consistency and flavours as you mix.

Purple Sweet Potato Loaf...That's Green!

I am a firm supporter of eating a rainbow of food. Whole foods to be exact. Not only does it make any dish look more appealing and impressive, it's also an effective way of consuming many essential nutrients. It's easy to incorporate reds and greens, oranges and yellows. But what about blue and purple? Those two colours are probably the hardest to even find.

Purple Sweet Potato