Olive Oil Fig Cake

I love olive oil cakes. Besides the fact that I can fool myself into thinking they are healthy because olive oil, rather than butter, is the main fat in the cake, I also really enjoy the taste. I've been considering making one of the olive oil cakes from school for a while, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Then I saw this recipe in my new Martha Stewart Cakes cookbook and I just had to make it.


I was excited about the simplicity of the cake; the dried figs took center stage while the olive oil lent a very subtle flavor to the mild (and absolutely delicious) cake. The springy texture was the perfect complement to the slightly grainy figs (I love the texture of dried figs normally!) My favorite thing about this cake is that it's baked in a tart pan. I think that's such a great idea and I love the beautiful fluted edge and that there's no need for adornment.