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!

Comments

Susan Murphy said…
MAN!!! That looks so good!
weekend cooking time!
Oh wow, I'm speechless, what a beauty! What kind of figs did you use?
Stacey Snacks said…
Marie,
I used the Made in Nature Turkish figs from Costco (no sulphur dioxide).......but you can use any dried or fresh figs!

It was SO GOOD! xo
Anonymous said…
Even with the scary herbal note (rosemary), I'm tempted. I love pineapple upside down cake, so very tempted. In my mind's palate, I can imaginatively taste how the rosemary might just work here - even for me! I checked out the cake on Food52 and saw some people substituted pistachios for the walnuts - sounds like fun. And I saw your rav comments, Ms. Snacks!
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Stacey - I've made an upside down cake with fresh figs, and it was very good, but I think the one you made with dried figs would be even better. There's something about the concentrated flavor of dried figs that trumps fresh figs for baking.
Anonymous said…
Figs and rosemary or figs and basil are delicious together....love this recipe!
Anonymous said…
<3 <3 <3 Zee Pickle Face! <3 <3 <3
Taste of Beirut said…
What a beautiful cake. I'm sure all of your Thanksgiving guests will be thankful to eat it, frozen or not! I can't get the idea of figs and rosemary out of my mind... yum!