Almond Fig Cake

Every summer Alex picked the figs from a tree in his backyard. The fig tree was tall and wide so he had a large amount of figs. When ripe these figs had a dark purple skin with bright pink flesh. Every summer he went into his backyard to fill a large bowl with figs picked from his tree. Every summer he enjoyed a homemade batch of fig conserve. One summer he had so many figs he made almond fig cake.

To make this cake he whizzed almonds into a flour and topped the cake mixture with sliced figs. He baked it and tested it with a toothpick to see if the cake was cooked. When it was ready he enjoyed a slice. It was heaven on a plate. It was first and last dessert he made with the figs from his beloved tree.

Over the course of three years the fig tree withered until it died. He suspects the groundhog that haunts his backyard might be the reason the tree no longer stands.

These days he’s nurturing a sapling of a fig tree. So far it yielded a few pieces of fruit. It’s holding up well in its fancy blue pot. Once its ready to transplant he plans to resume making fig conserve and a memorable fig cake.