Autumn Baking Melbourne: Fig Almond Yoghurt Tea Cake Recipe

Autumn Baking in Melbourne

As the weather cools, autumn baking in Melbourne becomes one of the true pleasures of the season. It is the time for warm kitchens, buttery cakes, afternoon tea and simple recipes made with beautiful fruit.

At By Josephine’s Brunswick bakery, autumn is about warmth, depth and comfort. We naturally lean towards bakes that feel generous and considered, with French classics and seasonal fruit taking centre stage.

Our cannelés feel especially at home at this time of year. Deeply caramelised on the outside and tender and custardy in the centre, they are perfect with coffee or a pot of your favourite tea on a cool afternoon. Alongside them, madeleines and financiers bring their own quiet charm. Freshly baked and served warm, they have the buttery simplicity that suits the season so well.

This is the kind of French baking Melbourne loves as the days grow cooler. Thoughtful, comforting and made to be shared.

At By Josephine, seasonal baking in Australia is about more than following a calendar. It is about noticing what is growing well, baking with care and making space for small rituals that mark the season.

A Fig, Almond & Yoghurt Tea Cake for Autumn

To celebrate the season, we are sharing one of our favourite recipes, a fig, almond & yoghurt tea cake that feels beautifully suited to this time of year. Soft, fragrant and gently rich, it has almond meal for warmth and texture, and yoghurt for a tender crumb.

The figs are finally ripe in Melbourne, super juicy and perfect for baking. They are especially lovely in this cake, but the recipe also works beautifully with apple, pear or stone fruit. Using home-grown fruit makes it even more special and is one of the simple pleasures of seasonal baking in Australia.

If you have a fig tree tucked away in a Brunswick laneway, you may even have spotted us on a little fig forage. It is a family tradition we all love and one of those small seasonal rituals that makes autumn feel properly underway.

Fig, Almond & Yoghurt Tea Cake

150 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
160 g caster sugar
2 eggs
5 ml vanilla extract
15 ml honey
180 g natural yoghurt
220 g plain flour
60 g almond meal
7 g baking powder
5 ripe figs, 3 diced and 2 sliced for the top
30 g flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan. Grease and line a 22 cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Whisk the melted butter and sugar together until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition until smooth. Stir through the vanilla, honey and yoghurt.

Fold in the flour, almond meal and baking powder until just combined, then gently fold through the diced figs.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Arrange the sliced figs over the top, pressing them in lightly, then scatter with the flaked almonds.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Serve warm with a dollop of yoghurt or crème fraîche.

French Baking for the Cooler Months

At By Josephine, autumn baking starts with tradition, French technique and quality local ingredients. From cannelés in Melbourne to warm madeleines and delicate financiers, these are the kinds of bakes that make cooler days feel all the more inviting.

Autumn baking starts here.