This Spanish Fig Cake contains no flour and is traditionally made from dried figs pressed with almonds, walnuts and spices. It’s usually topped with a sliver of Manchego and served with a glass of sherry – an unusual and delightful ending to a hearty and satisfying meal.  Manchego is a semi firm, creamy, golden sheep’s milk cheese with tiny little holes and it ranges from mild to sharp depending on the age of the cheese. The cheese originated in the land of Don Quixote of  La Mancha. The cheese is recognisable by the typical herringbone pattern on the outside of the skin. Be kind to yourself and try some.

Ingredients

• 500 ml dried figs, stems removed and sliced into quarters
• 150 ml toasted, slivered Marcona almonds
• 30 ml toasted sesame seeds
• 1 ml anise seeds, lightly ground
• 1,5 ml dried cloves
• 2ml ground cinnamon
• 20 ml honey
• 30ml good Spanish sherry of choice
• 5ml good Spanish sherry of choice
• 16 slices Manchego, cut into about ½ cm

Method

• Put the figs in a food processor and chop finely ( pulse for about a minute).
• Add the spices and honey and process for 30 seconds to combine well enough that the mixture becomes a ball.
• Add the almonds and process until coarsely chopped and mixed with the figs and then pour in 30 ml of sherry and process until the mixture sticks together (no more than a minute).
• Make sure your hands moist and do so with the 5 ml of sherry allocated for this and shape the fig mixture into a  log.
• Wrap in a sheet of parchment paper, cover this with cling wrap and put into a  loaf pan, compressing the fig cake with a second loaf pan and allowing it to set for 2 days at room temperature.
• Slice the cake into thin slices and serve with the slices of Manchego.