I was 28 years old the first time I ate a fig. I’d had Fig Newtons before but never a real fresh fig. I remember that first time pretty well. It was while I was working for Live It Learn It and I was taking students on a trip to visit the Washington Youth Garden (WYG) which is located inside the National Arboretum. During the trip fourth grade students tour the garden, learn about food groups, and pick fruits and vegetable that will be used in making a healthy snack.
Sometimes while they gather materials for the snack they also get to taste things along the way. On this particular visit, the figs were ripe and our WYG educator picked one and cut it in pieces for the kids. While in the garden the kids try a lot of foods they haven’t had before but that are familiar to me. This time I was in the same boat as the kids. I had never had a fig and was both nervous and excited to try. It looked a little funny but seemed harmless enough. I asked the educator if I could try some of the fig too, and I found (along with the kids) that I liked it! It tasted like a Fig Newton (duh) but also softer, brighter, and like warm sunshine. It is one of the freshest things I’ve ever eaten. Since then, I’ve tried to be more often to eating and cooking with figs. 
On the outside, figs aren’t so beautiful. They look like fat purplish-green bulbs. The inside is a whole different story. Figs are bright colored, nearly magenta and full of tiny edible seeds. I think the insides are really gorgeous and so should definitely be shown off when cooking. I chose to pair them alongside my other favorite pretty fruit with lots of seeds: strawberries. So this fig and strawberry cake was born. However, both of these fruits are most attractive raw. There’s something about baking fruit that makes them sort of ugly because they get wrinkly and discolored. Appetizing descriptions right?
But what strawberries and figs lose in aesthetic luster, they gain in flavor. Sprinkled with sugar and baked they take on a soft jam-like flavor and texture. A few weeks ago I made a peach upside down cake, and with that recipe the peaches stay firmly on the top layer of the cake. Here, the fruit is put on top of the batter and as the cake bakes the fruit softens, falls a little bit, and gets ooey gooey inside. It’s a nice summery flavor surprise.
Since the fruit it put on top of the batter and sugar is sprinkled on top the cake has a rustic homemade look to it. But in the nicest, most comforting, though slightly trendy way possible. It’s the kind of thing you would find in a small indie coffee shop or at a farmer’s market. I also think it’s a really forgiving cake to make. Sometimes you want your cake to be iced perfectly, the fruit to be placed perfectly, and the slices to come out perfectly. This cake lets you be a bit messy and unkempt. It’s ok if the fruit falls into the batter a bit, if it browns unevenly, or if it is a bit crumbly. It’s going to taste good and that’s all the matters. I mean, it’s just cake for goodness sake!
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Messy level: Three spoons. It’s not more messy than any other cake, but I think cake by nature is a bit messy. Cake is messy because you need two bowls and because something always gets thrown out of my stand mixer.
- 6 tablespoons/ 85 grams butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 1½ cups / 188 grams all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup / 200 grams plus 2 tablespoons / 5 grams granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup/ 118 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2-4 figs cut into quarters, depending on taste
- about 10 medium strawberries, halved (use a few more or less depending on taste)
- Preheat oven to 350°F /180°C.
- Butter a 10-inch pie pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg, milk, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little bit at a time (I did about ¼ cup at a time). Mix until just combined. It's ok if there are some lumps.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pie plate.
- Arrange figs skin side down and strawberries cut side down on top of batter. Arrange them in whatever way you think looks nice. Put them as close together as possible in a single layer. You might think you can't fit everything but you can definitely fit more than you think.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the fruit.
- Put the cake in the oven and bake cake for 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 325°F/160°C and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool then cut and serve.
