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Fig, orange and walnut breakfast loaf
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe adapted from Honey & Co: The Baking Book by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (Saltyard Books, £25). / Recipe photograph by Laura Edwards.
Fig, orange and walnut breakfast loaf
Recipe by Honey & Co.
Serves: 10-12
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
294Kcal
Fat
10gr
Saturates
3gr
Carbs
47gr
Sugars
31gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.3gr
Honey & Co.
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich own Honey & Co in London. This bustling Middle Eastern eaterie is always packed and the great food and warmth of the owners make it a local gem. They have released three books Honey & Co: The Baking Boo, Food from the Middle East and Chasing Smoke
See more of Honey & Co.’s recipes
Honey & Co.
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich own Honey & Co in London. This bustling Middle Eastern eaterie is always packed and the great food and warmth of the owners make it a local gem. They have released three books Honey & Co: The Baking Boo, Food from the Middle East and Chasing Smoke
See more of Honey & Co.’s recipes
Ingredients
- 120ml whole milk
- 120g honey
- 40g unsalted butter
- 75g caster sugar
- 75g light brown soft sugar
- 225g self-raising flour
- 75g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 75g dried figs, trimmed and chopped
- 75g chopped mixed peel
- 1 large egg
- 25g demerara sugar, to sprinkle
For the sweet spice mix
- 10 cardamom pods
- 6 cloves
- ½ whole nutmeg, in pieces (bash in a pestle and mortar to break it up)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp mahleb seeds (optional)
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
Step by step
Get ahead
Make up to 1 week ahead, cool and store in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 weeks, but will need to be toasted. It can also be frozen. The spice mix will keep for 2 months; store in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. First make the spice mix: roast the cardamom pods, cloves and nutmeg on a baking tray for 5 minutes, then add the fennel and mahleb seeds, if using, and roast for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Take the seeds out of the cardamom pods, discarding the husks, and finely grind the roasted spices using a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar, then mix with the ginger and cinnamon. Set aside 4 teaspoons for the cake; transfer the rest to an airtight container (save it to make the loaf again another day or add to cookie dough or sprinkle a little onto yogurt to serve with fruit).
- Butter a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin measuring 20cm x 10cm x 7cm and line with baking paper to cover the base and sides, allowing a little overhang to help lift the loaf out. Set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Warm the milk, honey, butter, caster sugar and light brown sugar together in a large saucepan until the sugars have dissolved and the mixture is just starting to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, the 4 teaspoons of the spice mix and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix in the chopped walnuts, figs and mixed peel, then add the egg and combine before transferring the mixture to the lined tin. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then turn the tin around and bake for another 20-25 minutes. At this stage it should still be a little soft to the touch, but stable and with a lovely thick crust. You can't really test this cake with a toothpick as it contains so much fruit, but if you push down a little with the tip of your finger in the centre and it doesn't sink, remove it from the oven. Allow to cool in the tin.
- Serve sliced and toasted with butter and orange marmalade.