You can order these Ocracoke fig preserves on-line at http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/figpreserves.htm.
Place your order of $25 or more during the months of August or September and get free shipping. But remember, there is a limited supply. There is no guarantee that we will be getting more.
Below is the traditional Ocracoke Island fig cake recipe. This is my favorite cake!
Ingredients: 1 cup salad oil; 1 1/2 cup sugar; 3 eggs; 1 tsp. soda, dissolved in a little hot water; 2 cups flour; 1 tsp. nutmeg; 1 tsp. allspice; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tsp. salt; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 cup preserved & chopped figs; 1 cup chopped nuts.
Beat 3 eggs; add sugar and oil. After sifting dry ingredients, add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla and fold in figs and nuts. Pour into greased oblong pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or in a well greased tube pan at 350 degrees just a little longer.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is Lou Ann's story of the Night Blooming Cereus Cactus. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news072111.htm.
There is nothing like authentic figs from Ocracoke. Last October, I was fortunate to be on the island and I purchased some of VC's fig preserves. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI've made the fig cake recipe printed in the Ocracoke Methodist Church cookbook, but I need to compare your recipe to it. I don't remember needing buttermilk and I like that ingredient. May try your recipe, Philip, soon.
BTW, beautiful photo.
Thanks, again, for the free shipping at the $25 or above order total level. That's a significant savings.
Now correct me if I am wrong but I have dug deep into my assortment of baking pans looking for an oblong shape. I found a serving dish enameled that I often serve scalloped potatoes in as the dish is oval. Is not my oblong tablecloth in the shape of an oval? Oops just googled the word--- an extended square or circle. Now that is clear the cooking times puzzle me-- I suppose all ovens are different but I confess I forgot to add the dissolved baking soda until ofter I had paced the cake in the oven. I quickly took it out of said oven, dumped the solution into the batter; tried to incorporate it, as best I could and hoped for the best. The caked baked in a silicone bundt form/pan and I often think these space age offerings are forgiving in releasing the baked item. But the density-- is the fig cake on the side of a fruit cake in texture? it was not dry and crumbly as a carrot cake hmm--- should I try again? please describe the crumb and texture of the finished product.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a crumbly carrot or fig cake. Both are always moist and absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteA fig cake is moist. If it tastes great you did it right! Enjoy.
ReplyDeletecrumbly as in home made hand grated carrots not a factory made carrot cake --- the carrot bits in reality add to the crumb nature and the icing cream cheese holds it together-- the carrot cake with the nuts and raisins does not make for a cake that will not separate ; as a slice of a cake from a mix-- homogenous in nature
ReplyDelete