Fig Custard Cake

 

Two years ago I ordered two fig trees from Baker Creek. They came as little sticks in dirt. I was not sure if they would grow here in Boston. As an experiment, I planted one in the yard and one in the greenhouse. Both have grown huge, and year 3....WE HAVE FIGS! They are so tasty! We inevitably end up eating the first few right off the tree because we are greedy. They are fantastic with some goat cheese. But the thing with figs is that you really need to eat them right away if you want to experience the magic, and once you pick them they need to be used. So on days when there are a lot of figs that ripen all at once we bake fun things.

This is our second crop of figs of 2024 coming in...I am waiting so patiently!!

This cake is made in a springform pan. It is a moist, dense cake punctuated by bursts of fig. We liked it a lot.

Yard garden haul for the day: figs for the cake, jalapenos, banana peppers, black cherry tomatoes and a chrysanthemum melon

Fig Custard Cake

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 teaspoons vanilla

8 figs, halved

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. 

3. With a mixer, whip the eggs and sugar until they are light and frothy. With the mixer on low, combine the sour cream, butter, rum and vanilla until completely incorporated. Add the flour mixture a few tablespoons at a time with mixer on low until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.

4. Add the batter to the prepared pan and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. 

5. Arrange the fig halves on top of the chilled batter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

6. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack.