Fresh Figs upside down cake

Figs have been in season since some time now. Even though their season is not so long, atleast here in Stockholm we don’t get it for more than a month or two. I have been picking them from the super market and even thought of making something with them, but they are so melt-in-mouth that I can’t keep my hands off. I was in the grocery shop over the weekend and saw the figs again. Back of mind I was planning for Abhisek’s b’day and I picked them thinking, “will do something with these”, but I still had no clue about the ‘what’.

Was surfing the Internet looking for his b’day dinner and cake. Found a lot of upside down cakes, such as pineapple, apple, plum, etc and that was it. I decided that I will take him on a trip to middle east. So, here is what I did, a fresh figs upside down cake, which is also eggless. It is packed with the nutrition of figs, the richness of caramel sauce and the goodness of cinnamon. What else can one ask for? The cake turned out better than my expectations. Absolutely delectable! And, Abhisek! Don’t ask! I am sure, I am getting the demand for another bake soon.

Here is the recipe for this fresh figs upside down cake. We will start by making the caramel sauce first and then we go ahead baking the cake.

Ingredients for the caramel sauce:

• Brown sugar (preferably light brown) – 1 cup
• Butter – 1 stick or half cup
• 9-10 figs  cut lengthwise

Method for the caramel sauce and figs layer

1. Place the butter and sugar in a pan.
2. Whisk to combine and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly. This will take around 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Pour the caramel in the greased cake pan.
4. Arrange the figs on top. Be careful as the caramel is bubbling hot. The easier way is to wait a few minutes to let it cool down.

Ingredients for the fresh figs upside down cake

• All purpose flour – 2 cups
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Baking Powder – 1 tbsp
• Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Unsalted Butter – 1/2 cup (room temperature)
• Milk – 1 cup (room temperature)
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Yogurt – 1/2 cup (room temperature)
• Almonds – 1/4 cup (crushed)
• Cinnamon Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp

Method for the fresh figs upside down cake

1. Preheat the oven 180 C.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix them well with a fork or blend in mixer.
3. In another bowl, whisk butter, milk, vanilla, yogurt, and sugar. Whisk well till you don’t feel the crunch of the sugar.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ingredients, and whisk well. You can do that using a hand whisk or blend them on medium speed in a mixer. Do this step until the batter is smooth.
5. Throw in some crushed almonds, cinnamon powder, cardamon powder, and fold with a spatula.
6. Pour the cake batter over the prepared baking pan (with layer of caramel and figs)
7. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Take the the cake out from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
9. Invert onto a serving plate and enjoy all the appreciation.