Hundreds of families vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina each year. Ocracoke Island is located at the southern end of the Banks and fig trees are abundant there.

The first-ever Ocracoke Fig Cake Bake-Off was held in 2012, and this annual competition continues today, with entrants creating cakes for the “Traditional” or “Innovative” categories.

The cakes are judged on presentation, taste and figg-ness!

This is a moist and rich cake packed with great fig flavor! It’s a fantastic cake to have with breakfast, bring to a special occasion, or for a mid-day snack. The figs are transformed into a quicky fig jam. This jam plus a buttermilk glaze will ensure that your cake is very moist and full of flavor!

To learn more about the festival, which happens in the month of August, click here!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbsp. warm water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup fig preserves
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Directions:

Beat 3 eggs; add sugar and oil.
After sifting dry ingredients, add to egg mixture alternatively with buttermilk. Add vanilla and fold in figs and nuts. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or in a greased and floured bundt pan at 350 degrees.

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