This fig cake was only supposed to be an Instagram post, but it was just too good. Well here’s the whole story…
I work with Melissa’s Produce quite a bit. They’re a specialty produce distributor based out of Los Angeles. They’re amazing at sharing tons of fruits and veggies, introducing me to new ingredients, and constantly piquing my food-loving interests. One of the best parts is that they invite food bloggers for lunch periodically. At these lunches, a cookbook author presents his/her recent book, sharing some tips and recipes.My favorite part is that we get to taste test a fair number of the recipes and then take home some fresh ingredients used in the recipes.
You never know exactly what you’re going to get. One of the last lunches I attended was with Elizabeth Minchilli for her new book The Italian Table. The book is organized by complete meal plans based geographically throughout Italy – she lives in Rome and does foodie tours!
Besides eating enough marinated eggplant for three pregnant ladies, I also indulged in the fig cake. I absolutely adore fresh figs. And I have a healthy addiction to cake. So it was the holy grail for me!
At the lunch, I thought the cake was a little dry, but I figured it was because it had been cut in pieces and displayed (i.e. it sat out for a bit). So I grabbed two packages of figs (don’t tell on me) and promised myself I would make the cake at home.
Homemade Fig Cake
I was such a good girl, I followed the recipe as is (so difficult for me). And I popped it in the oven around 9:30 pm, allowing enough time to take out the cake and then get ready for bed. The only problem was that when the timer went off the cake was nowhere near done. So it went back in for 15 minutes. And then in again for 10 minutes. At that point, it was done (as was I – it was bedtime!)
I was worried the cake would be super dry because of the long cooking time. I covered the cake in the removable bottom pan, took some photos the next morning, and planned to share the cake with my best friend and mom (I knew they wouldn’t judge me). So the next day (yes, nearly 48 hours later at this point), we unwrapped the cake, I gave them my sob story about the baking time, and we dug in… only to discover is was still moist and AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.
I’m starting to wonder if our oven isn’t functioning properly. But this fig cake was so good and actually so easy to make that I couldn’t not share it here (just with the cooking time caveat). I’m trying to decide what to make from Elizabeth’s cookbook next. If I’m being honest, I may just end up doing this cake again – with figs or another summer fruit. This is a judgement free zone, however, so I know you won’t judge me! I’m pretty sure this just became one of my go to dessert recipes!
FIG CAKE { Torta di Fichi}
This delectable butter cake is topped with fresh fig halves. It's perfect on its own, but it's pretty heavenly with homemade whipped cream or ice cream as well!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 cups AP flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 lb fresh figs, halved from tip to bottom
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°
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In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamed together. Add eggs and milk. Beat until well combined
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In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients a bit at a time until well mixed.
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Line a 9" springform or removable bottom baking pan with parchment paper. Pour in the batter.
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Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl. Roll each fig half in the powdered sugar then gently place each half on top of the batter, cut side up.
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Bake for 30 minutes.* A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
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Let cake cool completely before removing from pan. To remove from pan, slide a knife around the cake to loosen before removing the outer ring.
Recipe Notes
*As I mentioned in the post, I ended up baking the cake for about 55 minutes. It came out perfectly, but it certainly took a while. Start checking at 30 minutes to check for doneness.
Recipe from Elizabeth Minchilli's The Italian Table
Make this recipe? I'd love to see how it turned out. Tag me @LMinthekitchen on Instagram and use #LMrecipes, so I can see your creation! xo
