Pumpkins and apples may dominate the autumn season, but don't forget about figs! These fig cupcakes - made with fresh figs, fig jam, olive oil, cinnamon and spices, all topped off with a swirl of honey cream cheese frosting - are a unique and delicious fall dessert!
If you're in the mood for an unexpected fall dessert, this is it! These homemade fig cupcakes are seasonal, fruity dessert that cupcake lovers of all ages are going to love.
This cupcake recipe is adapted from another recipe that is a sweet memory for my family. The weekend before our son was born, Alex baked the most delicious fig cake just for fun. Even though we devoured huge slices nightly, we didn't manage to eat the entire cake before Cameron was born. When we returned home from the hospital with our baby boy in tow, we were disappointed to discover that the leftover cake hadn't survived our time away.
We couldn't stop thinking about that delicious fig cake we never got to finish, and it became the inspiration for these fig cupcakes with honey cream cheese frosting!
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Why This Recipe Works
These fig cupcakes are next level! Made with chopped fresh figs AND fig jam, they're packed with ripe, seasonal fruit for a punch of flavor. A dash of spices like cinnamon and cardamom help to round out the delicious fall flavors of these cupcakes.
The cupcakes' texture - a dense yet moist crumb with a little bit of crunch (thanks to the chopped figs and oats or nuts) - is similar to carrot cake. And, like carrot cake, these pair perfectly with cream cheese frosting. This cream cheese frosting is made with a bit of honey for a delicate sweetness that beautifully balances the tang of the cream cheese.
Consider these cupcakes your excuse to take advantage of all that fig season has to offer, because you need these fig cupcakes in your life!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Ground Cinnamon, Ginger & Cardamom - These warming spices complement the flavor of the figs and enhance the cozy, fall flavor of these cupcakes. If you don't have cardamom on hand and don't want to buy it, substitute an extra ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, which will change the overall flavor slightly but still be delicious.
Olive Oil - Oil adds necessary moisture and fat to the batter, and olive oil brings added flavor which complements the figs and spices. If you prefer, you can substitute a neutral oil like vegetable oil.
Sour Cream - Sour cream also adds needed moisture and fat to the batter and is often found in rich, moist cake recipes. I prefer baking with full fat sour cream for the best texture, but a light sour cream will also work.
Fresh Figs - Fresh figs are of course essential to the recipe, and they add a sweet and nutty fruit flavor to the cupcakes (plus a beautiful garnish on top). Choose any variety you like or can find. Check out the FAQs below for helping finding figs.
Fig Jam - Fig jam adds extra, concentrated fig flavor to the batter. You can usually find fig jam in the specialty cheese section of your local grocery store, since it's really delicious as a spread with cheddar cheese and crackers.
Old Fashioned Oats or Chopped Walnuts - I originally created this recipe using chopped nuts, but after discovering that my son has a tree nut allergy I tested alternate options in order to make these cupcakes nut free. Old fashioned oats adds a delightful texture to the cupcakes that's similar to nuts, so they've become my new favorite add-in. You can also leave out the mix-in altogether if you prefer.
Cream Cheese - Go for full-fat cream cheese for the frosting, and make sure it's room temperature before mixing.
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a whisk and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for mixing the cupcake batter.
- Standard muffin pan and paper liners, for baking the cupcakes.
- Pastry bag and piping tip, for piping the frosting onto the cupcakes (optional).
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Make the cake batter. Whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in oil and sour cream.
Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Add figs, fig jam, and oats or walnuts and fold these ingredients into the batter just until combined.
Step 4: Bake the cupcakes. Add batter to pan, filling paper liners ⅔ full. Bake cupcakes at 325°F for 25 minutes.
Step 5: Make the frosting. Beat together butter, cream cheese, salt, honey and vanilla. Slowly add confectioners' sugar and beat until blended and smooth.
Step 6: Frost the cooled cupcakes using a spatula or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag and piping tip. Garnish the cupcakes with a sprinkle of cinnamon and fresh fig slices (optional).
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Recipe Tips
Be sure to measure the ingredients properly - especially the flour - to ensure cupcakes have the best texture. Adding to much flour to the batter will lead to dry and crumbly cupcakes.
For the best rise, use every other hole in the muffin pan for baking. You can bake two trays at once or one tray at a time. This allows air to better circulate around the cupcakes as they bake, improving their rise. This isn't necessary, so if you only have one pan or don't want to bake the cupcakes in batches just skip it!
Briefly chill the frosting in the fridge before piping onto the cupcakes to help the frosting hold its shape when piped.
Recipe FAQs
Fresh figs can be found in the produce section of many grocery stores during their peak season in late summer through early fall. If your local grocery store doesn't carry them you could try a local farmers market or a larger grocery store with a more robust produce section.
Unfrosted cupcakes do not need to be refrigerated, but frosted cupcakes should be stored in the fridge since the frosting contains cream cheese. See storage notes below for the best ways to store these cupcakes.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in a loosely sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If stored in an airtight container the cupcake tops may become too moist, so it's best to store them loosely sealed to allow a small bit of airflow to the cupcakes.
Refrigerator: Frosted cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remove cupcakes from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to let them come to room temperature.
Freezing: Unfrosted cupcakes can be sealed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost cupcakes at room temperature before frosting and serving.
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Recipe
Fig Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Special Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- standard muffin pan
- 12 muffin liners
- French star piping tip (or other piping tip)
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (1 grams) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1 grams) ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon (1 grams) ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (54 grams) extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup (58 grams) sour cream
- ⅜ cup (89 grams) chopped fresh figs (about 2 figs)
- ⅜ cup (84 grams) fig jam
- ⅜ cup (30 grams) old-fashioned oats or chopped walnuts
Frosting:
- 8 Tablespoons (112 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ cup (85 grams) honey
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 3 ⅓ cups (400 grams) confectioners' sugar
- ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
- sliced fresh figs, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a standard muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
Make the cake batter.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer) add eggs and sugar and whisk on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add oil and sour cream and whisk to combine.
- Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Add figs, fig jam, and oats or walnuts and fold these ingredients into the batter just until combined.
Bake the cupcakes.
- Add 3 Tablespoons of batter to each cupcake liner so that they're ⅔ full. Bake cupcakes for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when poked gently. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing the cupcakes from the pan.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer), add butter, cream cheese, and salt and beat on high speed until smooth. Add honey and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add confectioners' sugar and beat until blended and smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes using a spatula or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag and piping tip. Garnish the cupcakes with fresh fig slices just before serving.
Gladys says
Is there a recommended/suggested way to make this diabetic friendly?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Gladys! I'm afraid I don't have experience with low sugar baking and have not tested a low sugar or sugar substitute version of this recipe.
- Allison
Gladys says
No problem! Thank you so much!
Sarah says
may I omit the oats/walnuts?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Sarah. No, the batter relies on these mix-ins and will be too thin without them. You could likely substitute with additional flour, but I haven't tested this so I can't say with certainty. - Allison
Ashleigh says
Just made these and they are delicious! Mine were definitely lighter in color, so I went back through the recipe to see if I had made a mistake. The recipe calls for granulated sugar, but brown sugar is mentioned earlier on in the description. Can you clarify this for me please? Thank you and thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Ashleigh! So glad you love this recipe! Thank you for catching my typo... the recipe card is correct and this recipe uses granulated sugar, not brown sugar.
- Allison
E. says
best cupcakes i have EVER tasted! I used fresh figs from the garden and the jam was homemade. Delicious!
Melissa says
I'm confused about the 3/8ths cup. I don't know how to measure this. Is this a specialty cup I can buy in Amazon? It's just that I've never seen this in baking and don't have that measurement in my kitchen.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Melissa! 1/8 cup is a standard measure that's equal to 2 Tablespoons. If you don't have a 1/8 measuring cup, you can measure 3/8 cup by using 6 Tablespoons OR 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons. I hope that helps!
- Allison