Upside-Down Fig Cake
Fresh figs and oranges come together in this delicious summery upside-down fig cake. This laid back bake captures the season of ripe, succulent figs which take centre stage. They’re bathed in a light caramel and sink into a moist almondy sponge infused with the zesty notes of citrusy oranges.
We’ve had more figs from our fig tree this year than the entire time we’ve lived here, a total of six years now. We’re not quite sure why the tree has decided to be so productive, but it’s in part down to the bags. We bought some special fig bags to stop the birds eating all the fruit. They work a treat and also keep the woodlice from eating them too.
The result is that for the first time ever I can indulge in some fig baking with our very own figs. I’ve already made some fig jam and now it’s the turn of this upside-down fig cake.
Dive Right In
- Why Make An Upside-Down Fig Cake?
- How To Tell When Figs Are Ripe
- Upside-Down Fig Cake
- How To Make An Upside-Down Fig Cake
- Other Upside-Down Cake Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Why Make An Upside-Down Fig Cake?
When figs are in season, it sort of makes sense to use them. What’s more, baking the figs gives them a whole new flavour and texture profile. Here are a few other reasons why you might want to make this upside-down fig cake.
- Eat The Seasons – Fresh figs are at their peak during late summer and early autumn. If you grow your own figs and are looking for ways to use them, this cake is a wonderful opportunity to showcase them.
- Flavour Fusion – The natural sweetness of fresh figs combined with the refreshing citrusy tang of oranges creates a delicious fusion of flavours.
- Nourishing Ingredients – Like most of my bakes, this one is nourishing as well as delicious. It contains essential nutrients and dietary fibre from the natural goodness of figs, almonds and wholemeal spelt flour. Whilst the cake is perfectly sweet enough, the sugar content is relatively low compared to many sweet bakes.
- Rustic Charm – Upside down cakes are a great way to make a cake look impressive without the need for frosting or any other form of decoration. The arrangement of caramel-bathed figs atop the cake, when flipped, reveals a rustic charm that’s sure to draw attention.
- Versatile Bake – This orange-infused upside-down fig cake serves just as well as a delightful ending to a dinner party as it does for an afternoon tea treat. Or why not make it as a weekend indulgence? Serve it warm with ice cream or at room temperature with a dollop of crème fraîche. However you want to eat it, this cake is versatile and suitable for any number of occasions.
How To Tell When Figs Are Ripe
A fresh ripe fig is a most delicious thing, but an underripe fig is barely worth eating. This means it’s important to pick your figs when they’re ripe or nearly ripe.
Unripe figs won’t ripen after picking, but nearly ripe ones will continue to sweeten and soften for a day or three if kept in a dry place at room temperature.
In the UK, most homegrown figs are Brown Turkey figs, Ficus carica. The clue is in the name, if the fig is green, it’s not ripe. Look to harvest the fruit in August and September.
You can tell the figs are beginning to ripen when they swell up and start to change colour. In the case of Brown Turkeys, this means the skins turn to a purply brown. They also start to droop on the tree rather than remain upright.
The most important test though, is to give the figs a gentle squeeze. If they’re soft, they’re ready.
Upside-Down Fig Cake
I’m very partial to an upside-down cake. You get layers of texture and flavour without having to spend much time preparing it. And they nearly always look good.
I made this orange-infused fresh fig upside-down cake for our local bake club recently. The theme was summer bakes, so I reckoned a fig cake of some sort was just the thing.
As it bakes, the caramel mixes with the fig juices and soaks into the bottom of the sponge, so you get almost three layers: caramel figs, fruity caramel sponge and then sponge proper.
Other than the figs and orange, you only need store cupboard ingredients to make the cake. I use wholemeal spelt flour, but you can use ordinary wholemeal flour, or half wholemeal and half plain flour if you like.
How To Make Upside-Down Fig Cake
Before you start, get your butter out of the fridge so it has a chance to soften before you make the cake batter. It’s so frustrating when you’re all ready to go, only to find your butter is rock hard. It’s happened to me on many an occasion.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Prepare Tin
You’ll need a deep cake tin for this upside-down fig cake. The cake rises up quite high and the caramel mixture can bubble up and overflow in a shallow tin. Make sure it doesn’t have a loose bottom or you’re likely to lose the caramel.
I use a silicone mould as cakes always turn out really well and rarely stick. If you’re using a tin, butter it well and line the bottom with baking paper.
As you can see from the images here, I didn’t follow my own advice and I used a shallow one. Big mistake. I lost quite a bit of the caramel over the side, although luckily the cake rose up nice and straight, so I didn’t lose any of that.
Step 2. Make Caramel
When I say to make caramel, you really don’t have to do much. The caramel sort of makes itself as the cake bakes.
In a small pan melt the butter over a low heat. Pour it into the bottom of the cake mould or tin.
Squeeze the orange juice over the butter. But do make sure you’ve already zested the orange as you need that for the cake.
Finally scatter the sugar, as evenly as you can, over the butter and orange.
Step 3. Prepare Figs
Rinse then dry the figs. A piece of kitchen towel is good for this. There’s absolutely no need to peel them or cook them prior to baking. They’ll bake perfectly in the cake and you won’t really notice the skins. But do cut off the stem.
Quarter each one, then lay them in a spiral pattern, skin-side-up, on top of the caramel.
Step 4. Mix Cake
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the orange zest and cream that mixture a little bit more. You can never overdo this bit.
Crack in the eggs, one by one, beating after each addition. Then beat in the ground almonds.
Sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. If there are any bits of bran or almonds left in the sieve, throw them into the mix.
Give it all a good stir, then mix in your chosen liquid along with the remaining orange juice.
Top Tips
If you grind your own almonds, you’ll get a better and fresher flavour with a lovely nutty texture.
I mostly use kefir for these type of bakes as we always have some in the fridge. This is because we make our own. If you’d like to give homemade kefir a try, take a look at my post. It tells you all about it.
Step 5. Bake Cake
Scrape the mixture onto the figs and spread out to form an even layer.
Bake the cake in the centre of the oven until it’s well risen, golden on top and firm to the touch.
Leave to cool in the tin or mould for ten minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate so that the sponge sits on the plate and the figs are on top.
Eat whilst warm or wait for it to cool down before serving. Because the figs are fresh, it’s best to eat the cake as soon as possible. Depending on your room temperature, it will keep in an air tight container for two to three days.
Other Upside-Down Cake Recipes You Might Like
- Apple upside-down cake
- Chocolate & pear upside-down cake
- Cranberry upside-down cake
- Gooseberry upside-down cake
- Pineapple & chocolate upside-down cake
- Plum upside-down cake
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this upside-down fig cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for using fresh figs?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more fig recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Upside Down Fig Cake. PIN IT.
Upside-Down Fig Cake
Ingredients
Upside-Down bit
- 40 g unsalted butter
- ½ orange juiced
- 50 g golden granulated sugar
- 4 large fresh figs (mine weighed 250g)
Cake Batter
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 1 orange zest and juice from half
- 2 medium eggs
- 25 g ground almonds (I used coconut flour this time)
- 200 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 100 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.40 g unsalted butter
- Pour into a deep 20cm (8") round silicone mould or lined cake tin – make sure it’s not one with a loose bottom.
- Squeeze in the orange juice (making sure you've already zested it for the cake). Scatter the sugar over the top so that it’s evenly distributed.½ orange, 50 g golden granulated sugar
- Remove the stalk ends from the figs, then quarter them. Lay them over the sugar skin-side-down to cover the bottom of the tin.4 large fresh figs
Cake Batter
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.100 g unsalted butter, 100 g golden caster sugar
- Add the orange zest and cream a bit more.1 orange
- Beat in the eggs, one by one, followed by the ground almonds.2 medium eggs, 25 g ground almonds
- Sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then stir until just combined.200 g wholemeal spelt flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Finally, squeeze the juice from the remaining orange half into a measuring jug then top it up with the kefir, buttermilk or sour milk to make 125 ml. Stir into the mix until just combined.100 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt
- Spoon the batter over the figs. Level the top with the back of a spoon and bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for about 40 minutes. The top should be well risen, firm and golden, but try not to over bake.
- Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then carefully turn out onto a plate. Enjoy warm with cream or custard, or leave to cool and serve for afternoon tea.
Absolutely delicious and turned out well first time! This is a light yet moist cake so perfect with a cup of tea or as a dessert. Would probably work well with fruit other than figs, or even without fruit on top at all, as the orange flavoured sponge is delicious
So pleased you like the cake Siobhan. Thanks for letting us know. And you’re right orange goes well with lots of fruit and makes a good cake in its own right too.
Saving this recipe for the holiday season!
Oh good idea Holly. An upside-down fig cake sounds perfect.
this looks delicious! Nothing nicer than a homemade cake.
Thanks Sherry. Homemade cake is one of life’s pleasures for sure.
Now this sounds like the perfect upside down cake to me.
It’s a good one for sure, but I do love a good fruity upside down cake especially if the fruit has a good colour.