Dorie Greenspan's a fig cake for fall recipe

Poach fresh figs and cradle them in a lemony cake./Wikimedia Commons

Figs are plentiful in farmers markets around Los Angeles and you might even be lucky enough to have your own or a neighbor’s tree to pick from. Who can wait for fall to make fig cake? 

Dorie Greenspan’s lovely, lemony fig cake is a wonderful way to use that bumper crop of backyard figs. This cake has a hefty portion of cornmeal, which gives it a moist, weighty texture that supports the figs perfectly. And if that’s not enough, the figs are poached in ruby port and honey before being placed in the batter and baked.

I’ve added an alternative poaching liquid suggestion in the “cook’s notes” section for readers who do not use alcohol in their cooking tradition. 

This recipe is from “Baking: From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan. ISBN: 0618443363. 

Ingredients 

For the poaching: 

3/4 cup ruby port

½ cup honey

2 thin slices lemon

16 - 20 fresh figs, stemmed and halved

For the cake: 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature

½ cup honey 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

For the figs and sauce:

Stir the port and 1/2 cup of honey together in a small saucepan. 

Add the lemon slices and bring to a boil over medium heat. 

Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the figs and cover the pan. Cook the figs for 4 to 6 minutes until the figs are soft. 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the figs to a bowl. 

Raise the heat and cook the poaching liquid at a boil, uncovered, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set the sauce aside.

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°. 

Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and dust the insides with flour, tapping out the excess.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. 

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. 

Add the butter to the sugar mixture. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. 

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Add the remaining 1/2 cup honey and the vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes. 

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until they are incorporated. 

Pour the batter into the prepared spring form pan. Jiggle the pan from side to side to spread the batter evenly, and then place the poached figs, cut side up, on top of the batter. 

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. 

Run a blunt knife around the edges and remove the sides of the pan. 

Cool the cake to slightly warm or to room temperature before serving it with the sauce.

Cook’s notes: 

• If you do not use alcohol in your cooking tradition, don’t worry – here’s an alternative liquid for poaching the figs. 
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar (contains no alcohol) 
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup honey 
• Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and cook the figs gently as directed above. Add 5 fresh or dry thyme leaves if you wish. 

More information: 

Try LA Cooking Examiner Erika Kerekes’ fig muffins with almond meal. Fantastic! 

Here are more fig recipes and tips from Examiners in New York and Phoenix. 

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