Caramelized Dried Fig Upside Down Chocolate Cake; caramelized dried figs pair with a rich and moist brandy scented chocolate batter for the upside-down cake of your dreams!
Brandy soaked dried figs, boozy chocolate cake and gooey caramel… LET’S DO THIS!
Recipe developed on behalf of California Figs…. …let’s liberate the fig from the Newton!!
Why This Recipe Works
- Seasonal year round! Dried figs, unlike fresh, can be found year-round!
- Enjoy any time of day! It’s the upside-down cake that pairs just as well with your morning coffee as it does with an afternoon tea or post diner dessert!
- Soaking the figs and raisons in Brandy before baking! Results in plumper, juicier and softer dried figs and raisons with an extra kick of flavor! (+ the brandy deepens the chocolate flavor in the batter!).
- That pinch of salt! Enhances and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
- All the flavors! Brandy scented chocolate batter, ooey gooey caramel, chewy dried figs and raisons… LET’S DO THIS!
It’s a very fig-a-licious riff off of the classic American pineapple upside-down cake!
How to Make this Recipe
Trim and soak the dried figs and raisons in brandy for 30 minutes and strain (reserving that brandy!).
Whisk dry ingredients together.
Whisk wet ingredients together.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients; whisk some more.
Make caramel.
Pour caramel into a 9-inch springform round cake pan.
Top with figs and raisons.
Pour batter into pan, back, invert and enjoy!
Please enjoy these step-by-step shots for easy cooking!
Cooks Tips
- Remember to cut off those tough fig stems! They harden and become sharp in the drying process.
- If avoiding alcohol, grape juice can be used instead.
- Leftover cake will keep for 3 days.
- To avoid a sticky mess, place cake pan onto a sheet pan to catch any gooey caramel that may ooze out while baking.
- For easiest cake inversion, run a knife around the edges of the cake, use a platter that’s larger than what you think you may need and let cool before flipping over.
Stoked on figs? I got ya! Check out this: Roasted Figs with Burrata, Honey Baked Brie with Figs & Nuts and this Fig Skillet Cake.
*This post is sponsored by California Figs. All the views in it are my own.
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with @DanielaGerson. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Let’s make waves in the kitchen!
Dried Fig Cake
Ingredients
Dried Fig Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup of brandy
- 2 cups of dried figs any variety or a combo, tough stems trimmed and cut in half
- 1/2 cup of raisons
- 1 1/4 cup of flour
- 1/3 cup of cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 kosher teaspoon of salt
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Caramel
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup of brandy
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Place figs and raisons into a bowl, cover with brandy and let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving both the brandy and the soaked fruit.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together granulated sugar, egg and melted butter in a large bowl until pale; whisk in 1/2 cup of the strained brandy and vanilla. Add flour mixture and whisk to combine. Set batter aside.
- To make the caramel: Sprinkle sugar evenly on the bottom of a saucepan over medium heat. Let sugar melt into an amber-colored liquid, stirring or swirling the pan occasionally. As soon as the caramel is a dark amber color, add in the remaining 1/3 cup of strained brandy, whisking carefully until caramel is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt.
- Pour caramel into a 9-inch springform pan, then line the bottom with the soaked figs and raisons. Once arranged, pour the chocolate cake batter over the dried fruit and smooth the top.
- Place springform pan on a sheet pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly then invert onto a serving tray or platter.
Notes
- Remember to cut off those tough fig stems! They harden and become sharp in the drying process.
- If avoiding alcohol, grape juice can be used instead.
- Leftover cake will keep for 3 days.
- To avoid a sticky mess, place cake pan onto a sheet pan to catch any gooey caramel that may ooze out while baking.
- For easiest cake inversion, run a knife around the edges of the cake, use a platter that’s larger than what you think you may need and let cool before flipping over.
Divine recipe,
Love, love, love this delicious cake.
Thanks for sharing this recipe chefdanielagerson.
You are awesome
xoxo
Thank you thank you thank you!!! Do you ever cook with dried figs? And absolute pleasure! You are so sweet :).
I am confused about how much butter to use in the cake. You say to divide 8 tablespoons, using 1/2 cup for the cake then use “remaining 4 tbs butter” for the caramel. However, 8 Tbs = 1/2 cup.
Hi + I am so sorry for the confusion. I'm going to go back and re-make + edit the recipe :). Really appreciate the feedback!
I am unable to get 1/2 cup of brandy used to soak figs for the cake plus an additional 1/2 cup of brandy used to soak figs since the figs actually soak up some of the 1 cup of brandy. I ended up 1/4 cup short for the caramel sauce.
Hi! Yes you wont get the entire 1/2 cup of brandy after they've been soaking from the figs but the idea is to use how much brandy you do have left back into the cake. I've updated the wording on the recipe so it's clearer. Did ya like it :)?
I'm confused by your note on the baking powder - if I use Dutch cocoa powder, do I then not using baking powder in the cake at all?
Thank you! This is a lovely recipe, I'm very excited to make it!
Hi Hayley and so sorry it was a typo! Was supposed to say to swap in baking soda (not powder) if using regular instead of Dutch cocoa powder. If you're using Dutch cocoa powder then stick with the baking powder + I've made it much more clear now. Super stoked to hear you're making this!
Just made this for my moms birthday and we all LOVE it! The figs, caramel, chocolate, and brandy pair so perfectly together. I was worried about it being overly sweet but it wasn’t at all. Just one question for you - how did you get the caramel to stay molten and smooth once you poured in the brandy? Mine hardened like a rock until I added butter and got the pan really hot and pushed and pushed around the chunks until they somewhat melted. I still ended up with a lot of chunks of hardened caramel. It was still delicious though! Just wondering how you got such a smooth texture.
So stoked to hear that Sonali and so sorry for the delay! Think I just did it fast - added in the branded, whisked it, removed from heat and added butter right away. So stoekd to hear you made and enjoyed this + thanks so much for sharing!
Looks amazing. Should this be served warm or can it be made a day ahead?
Can definitely be made a day ahead! And you can always warm it back up in the oven at 350 for 5-10min if you'd like to serve it warm. So stoked to hear you're making this Rita! Please let me know how it goes :).