Fig Upside-Down Cake

All summer I have been consumed with baking and making desserts with seasonal fruits. I even did a show on Jem Radio where I talked about Summer Baking and taking advantage the abundance of seaonsal fruits.

I wanted to bake with a fruit I’d never baked with before and decided to try figs. I started by doing some research into cooking with figs and found out a great deal about this fruit. I first learned there are several types of figs to choose from when cooking or baking. I was in Publix and found the Brown Turkey Fig and Black Mission Fig varieties and chose one of each to test out. In researching different types of figs, I found that brown turkey figs aren’t as sweet and are used more in baking since sugars are added. Black mission figs are sweeter and are typically roasted with a drizzle of honey and mascarpone cheese. Another great way to eat figs is with a assorted cheese platter or plain, like candy. Here is a great website with fig recipes that I found very useful.

Okay, now let’s talk about this cake. I tried a pear upside-down cake last year and was less than impressed with the cake’s texture. This time I followed another recipe with some alterations. The original recipe didn’t have any liquid added and I wanted my cake to be dense, but moist. Adding a 1/2 cup of milk was just what this cake needed and I’m so glad I added it!

I will definitely be using different fruits with this cake when fall seasonal fruits are ready. I hope you will try this cake and that it will become a staple in your baking arsenal. Enjoy this cake with a hot cup of coffee in the morning. You won’t be disappointed.

Fig Upside- Down Cake adapted from The Kitchn.com

Fruit Topping:

4 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 container of fresh figs (washed and quartered)

The Cake:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating, place a 9 inch baking pan on your stove-top over medium-low heat. Add the butter to the pan and once melted, add the brown sugar until the sugar melts. Remove the pan from he heat and set the pan to the side.

To prepare the cake, cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer or bowl. Once the sugar and butter are creamed, add the eggs one at a time, then the milk and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Once the flour mixture is combined, add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture and mix on low to medium speed until combined.

Add the cut and quartered figs to the baking pan with the brown sugar and butter. Make sure you fill the pan with as many figs as possible as the fruit will shrink during baking. Spoon the cake batter on top of the fruit and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. To remove the cake from the cake plan, place your serving plate on top of the cake pan then invert the pan. You want to remove the cake from the pan only a few minutes after it comes out of the oven so that that the brown sugar doesn’t cause the cake to stick to the pan. The pan will be hot so make sure you wear oven mitts or use a kitchen towel when handling the pan. Serve warm and enjoy!

Fig Upside-Down Cake!