Giving Thanks Cake: Upside Down Fig w/ Rosemary

This is the cake I am serving for Thanksgiving.

Yes, I made it ahead and froze it.

It's a beautiful creature, I must say.

A caramel topping made with sticky brown sugar and butter.........lovely lemon zest and rosemary from my garden.

Here's the deal.

The recipe calls for FRESH figs, which are no longer available during turkey time, so I tried it with DRIED figs.

Still delicious, however, if you CAN find fresh figs, then use them, the cake will be moister and less like a big Fig Newton.

I cut down on the butter and sugar because I felt it was just too decadent. No problem.

I was also afraid that once baked, it wouldn't come out neatly when I inverted it (I almost chickened out and used my springform pan).
Again, no problem.

Save this recipe for fresh fig season, it is a beautiful thing.

Upside Down Fig Cake w/ Rosemary & Walnuts (adapted from Food52 & Sweetly Serendipity)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
about 10-12 fresh, ripe or dried figs (you may need a couple more or less, depending on their size)
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped, divided
2-3 tablespoons walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Put butter into a 9-inch-round baking pan, and place inside of a warm oven until melted. Carefully remove from oven (it's hot!), and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter.

Add figs, flesh side up, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the rosemary. Sprinkle walnuts evenly over top.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a medium metal or glass bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until nice and fluffy, and soft peaks are just starting to form. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with granulated sugar on medium speed until thick and creamy. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary, and mix until completely incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar and egg yolk mixture, and mix again until well combined. Fold in the egg whites gently with a rubber spatula. Pour cake mixture evenly over the fruit, and smooth with a spatula.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350F.

Cool in the cake pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and invert onto a serving plate.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Can store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to a week. It also freezes very nicely, wrapped well.

Enjoy!