“At Christmas time, we have lots of family time, and we would always make a fig cake every year, using our fig preserves. Grandma was in here baking the cake one day, and a customer came in and said, 'Whatever you're cooking, I want to buy it.' Grandma said, 'I'm sorry, we are baking this cake for our family — we make it every year. But I can give you the recipe.' Ten years later, the same lady came in and told us she and her family make it every year now.” --Kim Clay

Grandmother's Fig Cake 

• 4 cups flour
• 1 box raisins
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ cup butter
• 1 pint Punta Clara fig preserves
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup pecans
• 2 teaspoons cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sour milk
• Grated rind of 2 lemons

Preparation

Cream sugar and butter, add milk, flour, baking soda and spices. Drain syrup from figs and cut up figs. Flour figs well.

Add figs, raisins and pecans to batter and mix well. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake in a slow oven (275 degrees) for about 3 hours. For best results, mix by hand.