It's tough to decide what dessert to make for the holidays. Pie and cakes are classic, but this recipe is a unique spin on holiday dessert. Top this dense, moist fig cake with a big dollop of whip cream and no one will miss for the traditional stuff.

Of course we are using O-Live olive oil for this recipe to help us cut the saturated fats. Making small substitutions, like olive oil over butter, in your traditional Thanksgiving recipes will make a huge impact on you and your families over all health during the holidays.

The natural, rich nature of olive oil and grassy flavor make the figs sing, and a little
lemon zest really brightens up an otherwise heavy cake. We used a mix of dried black mission and golden figs just for a little variety, but use whatever is available to you. Using dried fruits when baking is a great way to add flavor to your sweets, and you don’t have to worry about finding fresh figs in the winter. So whether you like yours a la mode, warmed up, or with a bourbon caramel sauce, buckle in for a delicious holiday.

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup O-Live everyday olive oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 14 oz dried figs finely chopped (any figs will do, we used a mix of golden and black mission)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a 9-inch tart pan with olive oil.
3. In a large glass bowl, whisk together the olive oil, milk, and egg.
4. In a separate bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients then add the liquid mixture.
5. Mix by hand until smooth.
6. Gently fold in the figs and lemon zest.
7. Pour batter into the prepared tart pan.
8. Bake until golden, about 40-50 minutes.
9. Let cool before unfolding.