Fresh Fig Upside Down Cake with Honey
This fig upside down cake is a serious delight to eat. The topping is made with honey and fresh figs for a sweet-but-not-too-sweet rustic cake that will quickly become a favorite. The sticky fig and honey topping is perfectly complimented by a fluffy white cake underneath.
Late summer/early fall is fig season and this upside down fig cake will get us off to a great start! It tastes and looks fancy but it really is so easy to make. And I know I always say that but it’s true! The cake is a basic butter-based cake made with butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, flour, and your typical leavening ingredients. The topping is simply honey and figs! It’s fun to make, thrilling to remove from the pan, and a joy to eat. It’s going to be a new favorite around here for sure. Make it while fig season is here!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase any of the items linked in this post, I should earn a small commission. This creates no additional cost to you and helps support the work that goes into running The Fig Jar. Thank you! -Becky
Ingredients
Fig upside down cake
- butter – truth be told I use salted butter in all my baked goods, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. In this particular cake I think salted butter is extra good. You get the smallest hint of salt that compliments the honey and figs so well.
- white sugar
- vanilla extract
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder and baking soda
- kosher salt
- honey
- fresh figs – I used green figs but any variety of ripe figs will be fine. If you use smaller or larger figs the number of figs needed to line the pan will change a little.
How to make this fig upside down cake
STEP 1: ARRANGE FIGS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN
Cut figs into slices, and add the honey to a 10-inch cake pan (Use a non-stick, round cake pan for easiest removal). Arrange the sliced figs in the honey in an even layer (in concentric circles as best as possible). Set aside while you make the cake batter.
STEP 2: COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl or save a dish like me and just measure them out on a large piece of parchment paper. They will combine enough as you funnel them into the cake batter.
STEP 3: BEAT BUTTER AND SUGAR
Start by beating the (room temperature) butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed. Increase to high speed once sugar starts to incorporate and beat until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
STEP 4: ADD EGG, VANILLA, MILK AND DRY INGREDIENTS
Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until combined. Then add the milk and dry ingredients, alternating between the two in 3 additions. Beat just until combined, then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges and stir a few times to make sure it’s fully mixed.
STEP 5: POUR FLOUR MIXTURE INTO PAN
Spread the cake batter (it will be thick) over the honey and fig halves evenly.
STEP 6: BAKE FIG UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (just a crumb or two). Move the cake to a lower rack about 25 minutes in to keep the top of the cake from getting too brown.
STEP 7: INVERT
Immediately after cooling, invert the cake onto a serving platter or cake stand (I do not recommend using a wire rack, as the cake will fall through the holes in the rack). Do this by laying the cake stand upside-down over the cake pan. Use dish towels or oven mitts to protect your hands from the hot pan and quickly flip the cake stand and cake pan together. The cake pan should now be upside-down over the cake. Gently lift the cake pan off of the cake. If any figs stick in the pan, use a fork to pop them back into place.
STEP 8: COOL AND ENJOY!
It’s best to allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions for Fig Upside Down Cake
Once the cake is completely cool, cover it with plastic wrap. Keep on the counter for up to 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Tried this Fig Upside Down Cake recipe?
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More fig recipes
Fig Upside Down Cake
Simple, not-too-sweet, super moist fig upside down cake where both star flavors of fig and honey shine right through. It’s seriously a delight to eat, especially with an iced coffee 🙂
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: dessert
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp honey
- 10–12 fresh figs, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 cup softened salted butter, 2 sticks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add honey to the bottom of a non-stick 10-inch cake pan and spread around evenly to the edges if necessary. If you don’t have a nonstick pan, grease the pan with butter very first. Arrange fig slices in the honey in an even layer.
- Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small mixing bowl.
- Beat butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed, increase to high as the sugar incorporates more. Beat until fluffy-looking. About 2 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and beat again with the mixer until fully combined.
- Add the milk and dry ingredient mixture in 3 alternating additions (1/3 of the milk, then 1/3 of the dry, etc.) beating on low until ingredients are fully incorporated after each addition. After the last addition, stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, giving the mixture a few turns with the spatula to make sure it’s fully mixed without overdoing it.
- Spread the cake batter (it will be thick) evenly over the fig and honey.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a crumb or two. You want it fairly browned, but not burnt of course. If it seems like it’s getting too brown, move the cake to a lower rack in the oven.
- Immediately upon removing the cake from the oven, invert it onto a serving platter or cake stand. Do this by laying the cake stand upside-down over the cake pan. Use dish towels or oven mitts to protect your hands from the hot pan while you flip both the cake stand and pan at the same time, ending with the cake pan on top, upside-down over the cake stand. Gently lift off the cake pan to reveal your fig & honey cake! If any figs stick in the pan, just a fork to scoop them and pop them back into place.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor. Enjoy!
Notes
Figs – use any variety of fig you like. Just note the amount needed will vary a little depending on the size of the fig
