cake, Desserts, Fruit

Fig and Raspberry Cake

by Lynda Balslev

Fig cake tastefood

It’s a virtual baking weekend, since it’s simply too hot to turn on the oven.
Instead I’ll dream about this Fig and Raspberry Upside Down Cake and share the recipe with you from the TasteFood archives.

Upside-down baking is  irresistable to me, whether it’s in the form of a tarte tatin or a cake. The common denominator is a gorgeous, gooey caramelized bottom, which, once inverted, becomes the top. Nestled in the sticky caramel goodness are chunks of seasonal fruit, which release their juice and perfume the pastry, while studding the topping like jewels in a crown.

The other winning quality of upside-down desserts is that they are generously flexible with the seasons. In the fall, pears and apples are the fruit of choice. In the summer, stone fruit, figs and berries display their wonders. Mix and match to your taste. It’s impossible to go wrong.

Fig and Raspberry Upside-Down Cake

Serves 8 to 10

1/2 cup plus 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
8 large figs, halved lengthwise
3 ounces raspberries
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour (meal)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment and butter the parchment. Tightly wrap the bottom of the pan with foil.
2. Melt the 1/2 cup butter and the light brown sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking to combine. Pour into the springform pan. Arrange the figs, cut side down in a circular pattern in the sugar. Fill in the gaps with the raspberries.
3. Mix the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extracts in a small bowl.
4. Beat the 3/4 cup butter and the granulated sugar in a mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1/4 of the flour mixture to blend. Add the sour cream mixture and mix to combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix to thoroughly combine without overmixing.
5. Drop the cake batter over the fruit in large spoonfuls, then carefully spread the batter to cover the fruit and caramel.
6. Bake the cake in the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes then invert onto a plate. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

15 thoughts on “Fig and Raspberry Cake”

  5. The sticky caramelized figs must make this cake taste so good. Wish I could send you some of the cool weather we are having in Maine. 🙂

  8. I am so happy it is fig season! If peaches, nectarines and melons are leaving us figs can soothe our fruity cravings until the barrage of apples arrive. The Fig and Raspberry Cake would certainly keep me happy as I morn the last of the glorious fruit of summer!

  9. Looks amazing! I love upside down cakes, but obviously, being cake challenged, the idea of flipping the pan leaves me cold. But this one is so beautiful…. I wonder if at some point I should give it a try 😉

  13. I’m a huge fan of pineapple upside-down cakes, but alas my wife has never appreciated them. While she’s humored me on my birthday, the recipe from Joy of Cooking left something to be desired — and was really more like corn-bread with pineapple.
    I thought the figs and raspberries looked great, but wanted something my kids would try, so I compromised with my wife and we opted to make one today with just apples instead. Happily, everyone loved the cake, and I must say, the cake itself is great! I can see how this will be wonderful with an assortment of fruits, and look forward to experimenting over the winter!
    One question: I cut the parchment paper so that it lined the bottom of the pan (and only the bottom), but could have left it up the sides. Almost all of the caramel dripped out during baking (into the foil). Should I have let the paper run up the sides of the pan, or is it more likely that I just didn’t wrap the foil tightly enough (I’m sure I didn’t).
    For others trying the recipe — our cake was visibly unset (jiggly) after 75 minutes, and took another 20 minutes to finish.
    Thank you for a great recipe!

Comments are closed.