Place The Raisins In A Small Glass Bowl And Pour ⅓ Cup Of The Sherry Over Them.
Toss To Coat.
Place The Figs In A Small Glass Bowl And Pour The Remaining ⅓ Cup Of Sherry Over Them.
Toss To Coat.
Let The Dried Fruit Rest Lightly Covered On The Kitchen Counter For 3 To 4 Hours.
The Soaked Fruit And Chopped Walnuts Will Be Placed Between The Layers Of The Cake.
For The Cake, Place A Rack In The Center Of The Oven, And Preheat The Oven To 375°F.
Butter And Flour Three 8″ Cake Pans, And Shake Out The Excess Flour.
Set The Pans Aside.
Place The Walnuts In A Small Baking Pan In The Preheating Oven Until Lightly Browned, 3 To 4 Minutes.
Set The Walnuts Aside.
Sift The Flour, Baking Powder, And Salt Into A Large Bowl.
Sift Together 2 More Times.
Set The Bowl Aside.
Place The Butter And Sugar In A Large Mixing Bowl, And Beat With An Electric Mixer On Medium Speed Until Creamy, About 2 Minutes.
Alternately Add The Flour Mixture And The Milk, Beginning And Ending With The Flour Mixture, Beating On Low Speed.
Blend In The Almond Extract And Set Aside.
Place The Egg Whites In A Large Mixing Bowl, And Beat With Clean Beaters On High Speed Until Stiff Peaks Form, 3 To 4 Minutes.
Turn A Quarter Of The Beaten Whites Into The Batter, And Fold In Until Just Smooth.
Add The Remaining Whites, And Fold Into The Batter Until Just Combined.
Divide The Batter Between The Pans, And Place The Pans In The Oven.
Bake Until The Cake Is Lightly Browned And Just Pulls Away From The Sides Of The Pan, 16 To 18 Minutes.
Place The Pans On A Wire Rack To Cool 10 Minutes.
Run A Knife Around The Edges Of The Pans, Give The Pans A Gentle Shake, Then Invert Them Once And Then Again Onto The Racks To Cool Right Side Up.
For The Sugar Syrup Filling, Place The Sugar And Water In A Medium-Size Saucepan Over Medium-High Heat, Stirring, Until The Sugar Dissolves And The Mixture Bubbles Up.
Let It Cook, Stirring, Until It Thickens Slightly, About 1 Minute.
Remove The Pan From The Heat And Stir In The Vanilla, Almond Extract, Lemon Juice, And Lemon Zest.
Set Aside, And Let The Mixture Cool For 5 Minutes.
Poke Holes In The Cake Layers With A Large Toothpick, And Drizzle The Sugar Syrup Over The Layers So It Soaks Down Into The Holes.
Prepare The Seven-Minute Frosting.
To Assemble The Cake, Place 1 Layer On A Cake Plate Or Platter.
Spread About 1 Cup Of Icing Smoothly Over The Layer.
Scatter Half Of The Sherry-Soaked Raisins And Figs, And Half Of The Walnuts, On Top Of The Icing.
Place A Second Layer On Top, And Spread With 1 Cup Of Icing.
Scatter With The Remaining Raisins, Figs, And Walnuts.
Place The Third Layer On Top.
Frost The Top And Sides Of The Cake With The Remaining Frosting.
Garnish With Thinly Sliced Lemon, Chopped Walnuts, A Sprig Of Fresh Lemon Verbena Or Lemon Balm, Or The Garnish Of Your Choice.
