Fig and olive oil cake

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp (150 g) rapadura or soft brown sugar (you can use less if this is too sweet for you)

• 3 eggs

• 5 tbsp (125 g/½ cup) thick Greek yoghurt

• 5 tbsp (60 ml/¼ cup) mild extra virgin olive oil

• 17 tbsp (230 g/1½ cups) “00” flour or regular plain flour

• 1½ tbsp (16 g) baking powder

• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped or 1 tsp vanilla paste

• finely grated zest of 1 lemon

• 6 figs cut into 3

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 13 cm x 28 cm loaf tin with baking paper.

2.  Place the sugar and eggs in a bowl and whisk until creamy.

3. Add the yoghurt, oil, flour and baking powder and mix until smooth, then stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.

4. Put into the prepared tin, stab 10 fig slices into the batter. Top with the remaining slices.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until pale golden and a skewer withdraws clean.

6. Cool in the tin then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

7. Serve as it is or dusted with icing sugar or with a dollop of yoghurt or a scoop of gelato.