orange blossom fig cake - Guide Recipe
Fig season is a little confusing—there’s always a big rush in June , but then they tend to disappear for a few weeks , only to come back in full swing for the rest of the summer and early fall. Apparently this is because they have two back-to-back fruiting seasons. But I’ve been noticing them popping up in supermarkets this week , so I guess fig season is here , at least for now! The next time you spot them at the market , be sure to grab one or two baskets , so you can make this fabulous fig cake , and have plenty to snack on while you wait for it to bake.
While I’m usually a big fan of buttermilk in cakes like this one , I decided to go with plain yogurt here , because I wanted to make this a little easier to throw together using ingredients you probably have around the house on a day that you just happen to find some really delicious figs. Like buttermilk , yogurt gives this cake moisture and a little tang , but unlike buttermilk , it’s probably actually in your fridge right now. I mean , that’s what was in my fridge the day that I brought these beauties home from the fruit market and decided to make this wonderfully syrupy orange blossom fig upside down cake. If you happen to have buttermilk , you can instead use 1/2 cup buttermilk in this recipe (instead of 3/4 cup yogurt).
The only ingredient that’s a little hard to find is orange blossom water , but you can get it at a supermarket with a good international food aisle , just about any Middle Eastern market , and of course online. It’s good to have around for Middle Eastern baking , and I strongly recommend keeping a bottle handy (once you do , you’ll start putting it in everything). If you can’t find orange blossom water , this cake is also wonderful with a few drops of rosewater , which is a little easier to find—in addition to Middle Eastern markets , you can also find rosewater in South Asian markets. If you go with rosewater , be sure to use restraint , as it has a tendency to overpower. Or feel free to omit flower-waters altogether , and let the figs speak for themselves.
orange blossom fig cake
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour
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fig and brown sugar bottom
Butter for greasing the pan
57g melted butter (half a stick/4 tablespoons)
100g light brown sugar (1/2 cup)
1/8 teaspoon salt
300g small fresh figs (about 10-11 oz)*
Butter one 8-inch round cake pan. Cover the bottom with a parchment round.
Mix together the melted butter , brown sugar , and salt , and pour it over the parchment-covered cake pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the brown sugar out evenly over the bottom until it's completely covered.
Slice the figs in half. Arrange the figs cut-side-down over the buttery brown sugar.
orange blossom yogurt cake
200g flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
5g baking powder (1 1/4 teaspoon)
1.5g baking soda (1/4 teaspoon)
3g salt (1/2 teaspoon)
2 large room temperature eggs (110g)
55g melted and cooled butter (half a stick/4 tablespoons)
150g granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
170g plain yogurt (3/4 cup)**
15g orange blossom water (1 tablespoon)
Preheat the oven to 350° F convection (177° C).
Sift together the flour , baking powder , baking soda , and salt in a mixing bowl.
Beat the eggs and butter together until they are very well incorporated. Then add the sugar , yogurt , and orange blossom water , and beat to combine well.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture , and stir together just until everything is combined. It won't be completely smooth , and there might be some tiny lumps; this is completely fine. Don’t over-mix!
Carefully pour the batter over the figs , smooth out the top a little bit with a spatula , and bake for about 30 minutes. It's done once you can insert a toothpick into the center and batter doesn't stick to it.
Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the cake pan. Then trace around the edge with a butter knife to make sure it's loosened from the pan. Place a plate or cake-stand upside-down over the cake. Put on your grippiest oven mitts , and hold the plate and cake together so that your thumbs are underneath the cake pan. Carefully and quickly rotate it away from yourself and give it a quick up-and-down shake to release the cake from the pan. Remove the pan , slice , and serve.
* If you can’t find small figs , you can use larger ones. Just make sure you cut them into about 1/2-inch slices instead of cutting them in half. To get the same look as these photos , slice the figs along their equators instead of stem to end.
** If you have Greek yogurt , you can substitute it here , but make sure you water it down slightly before measuring (using either a little milk or water). It needs to be the approximate consistency of plain , unstrained yogurt (Greek yogurt doesn’t have as much moisture).
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