Adding hazlenut meal to cake recipe?

The flavor combinations sound goods. I can think of a few ways to incorporate the figs and hazelnut meal.
Add the hazelnut meal (in a small amount) to the batter. The oil and density will make the batter heavier, so I'd limit the amount...say 2 tablespoons or 1/8 the volume of flour, max. Then use the figs (fresh sliced or lightly poached, depending on their condition) as garnish.
Another way would be to make the vanilla cake as usual, then make the figs and hazelnut meal into a kind of thick paste to use as filling between layers, or a sauce to plate the pieces of cake.
Also, to layer more hazelnut flavor, consider adding Frangelico to the batter or the garnish.