brown sugar cake with whipped yogurt and fresh figs

This fresh fig cake is not in season but to be honest, neither am I.  I’m not sure what the precursor to spring fever is, but if the symptoms are crippling sadness over it still being winter, then I definitely have it.  I’ve known my whole life that spring doesn’t really start in March but the sting doesn’t lessen year after year.

So instead of using healthy coping mechanisms to embrace the rest of winter, I’m using denial and cake.

I did make this cake when it actually was fig season and I probably had the windows open when I took this photo and I was probably a little tan and I was definitely a little warmer.  I had never made anything with figs or tried a fresh fig but trader joe’s was selling pallets of them and I had no choice.

Fig newtons and fig margaritas are next on my agenda, once new england finally thaws.  This cake looks like I have an adorable life where my kitchen is always clean and fresh figs grow in my organic garden.  This is not my life, but this cake is charming enough to pretend.  The base of the cake is not overly sweet but it’s tender and moist, which is my favorite cake texture.  Whipped yogurt was I think something I saw on food52 once and thought, “hell yes I will turn yogurt into frosting.”The fresh fruit and yogurt make this an acceptable and encouraged breakfast by all means.  As I’m typing that I realize I say that about most cakes and my threshold for what constitutes breakfast is not within normal limits, but I really do think it applies here.

The cake is best assembled the day of because the whipped yogurt frosting might sink into the cake a bit, but you could also serve it on the side while you brunch in your organic garden that you don’t have.

I would also suggest removing the fig stems before eating but every other food photo of figs keeps the stems on and I’m an excellent candidate for internet peer pressure.

brown sugar cake

1 cup flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted

whipped yogurt frosting

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

4-5 fresh figs

directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 or 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, stir together your flour, almond meal, and baking powder.  In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, and milk.

Stir in your dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter.  It might take a bit of whisking to get the butter in there but it should come together smoothly.  Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until the top springs back to the touch.

Let your cake cool completely on a cooling rack before preparing the whipped yogurt frosting.

For the frosting, whip together the heavy cream and the sugar until stiff peaks form.  Next, whip in the yogurt at medium speed until combined.  Spoon the frosting over the center of the cooled cake and top with quartered or halved, fresh figs.  Think of spring.

Enjoy : )