Wheat Flour Apple Cake with Figs and Hazelnuts: A Healthy Dessert Recipe

Written by Aarushi Agrawal | May 27, 2025

There are a lot of ways to stay healthy while baking and eating cakes and other desserts. From gluten free options to plant-based milk being added to batters, vegan cakes and so on. But they often miss out on the creativity and taste that are so integral to baking. To correct that omission, we present to you a step by step recipe for a wheat flour apple cake with figs and hazelnuts.

The fact that it's made with whole wheat flour means it's going to have a good deal of fiber in it. It is also not as heavy as cakes made with refined flour. And with the other additions, this wheat cake is all sorts of healthy. The apples add juiciness and freshness to each bite. While baking, they soften slightly, but not so much that they lose their shape or structure. TheyÕre just softer, and the resultant cake is going to melt in the mouth. The figs bring a natural sweetness to the cake, adding more layers to it. They also have a strong, chewy texture that makes them a highlight of the cake. And the hazelnuts add a crunch that feels exciting and grounding with each bite. So hereÕs how to go about making this delicious and unique cake:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• _ tsp baking soda
• _ tsp baking powder
• _ tsp cinnamon
• _ tsp nutmeg (optional but recommended)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (or 2 eggs)
• _ cup jaggery powder or brown sugar
• _ cup oil (coconut or light olive oil work)
• _ cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp milk (plant-based or regular)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1_ cups chopped apples (about 1 medium apple)
• _ cup chopped dried figs (soaked if dry)
• _ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• Optional: zest of _ lemon for brightness

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F or 175C.
2. Grease and line a loaf tin or cake pan. Set aside.
3. Toast the hazelnuts for 5 minutes until fragrant. Let them cool and chop coarsely. Set aside.
4. Soak the dried figs in warm water or apple juice for about 10 minutes, then chop roughly. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, add the wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. You can sieve in the flour for a more even texture and to ensure there are no clumps in the batter. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, add the flaxseed with 6 tbsp of water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Or if youÕre using eggs, beat in 2 eggs in a bowl.
7. Add jaggery/brown sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla, and milk to the flaxseed or egg bowl. Mix well until everything is thoroughly combined.
8. Now pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients bowl and gently fold it in until just combined. Pour in the wet ingredients a little at a time, mix that much in properly, then add more of the wet ingredients and so on. But make sure not to overmix or the batter will be runny.
9. Now add the chopped apples, soaked figs, and hazelnuts to the bowl and gently fold them in. The batter will be thick and textured.
10. Pour this batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. This is optional but you can also add some hazelnuts or a few apple slices on top of the batter too.
11. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
12. Once baked, let it cool on a wire rack.
13. You can serve the cake with powdered jaggery, a bit of cinnamon, some yogurt or a dollop of whipped cream. Serve the cake alongside coffee or tea.

Notes:

• Use Greek yogurt with no added sweetness. If youÕre using a flavored yogurt, adjust the amount of sugar youÕre adding to the cake accordingly.
• You can use any milk of your preference. ThereÕs whole milk or half and half, or even skimmed milk. If youÕre looking for a nondairy option, almond milk, oat milk or soy milk also work well in this recipe. If youÕre using flavored milk with sweeteners, you might want to reduce the amount of sugar youÕre adding to the batter.