Fig Cake Recipe: Upside-Down Fig Olive Oil Cake

Written by: Cooks of Heraclea

Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients: 12

Upside-down fig olive oil cake with caramelized fresh figs arranged in a spiral on top

When fig season hits, we bake this cake on repeat. Brown-sugar caramel goes into the pan first, then fresh figs cut-side down in a spiral, then a batter of almond flour, cardamom, honey, yogurt, and a full pour of our olive oil. It bakes into something dense, fragrant, and barely sweet — and the flip is the best part: every fig jammy and glazed on top. Serve it slightly warm, while the caramel still shines. Share it before it cools; it won't last that long anyway.

Ingredients:

For the Caramel:

½ stick / 65 g unsalted butter (¼ cup), plus extra for greasing
100 g brown sugar (about 1 cup), packed

For the Cake:

15–20 fresh figs, halved (depending on how big your figs are)
130 g almond flour (about 1 cup)
80 g all-purpose flour (about ½ cup)
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
100 g thick strained yogurt (about ⅓ cup)
100 ml extra virgin olive oil (about ⅓ cup) — we use Heraclea Mature Harvest EVOO
170 g honey (about ½ cup)
2 large eggs (about 100 g total)

Steps:

Prepare the pan: Preheat the oven to 375°F (175°C). Generously butter or spray a 12-inch round cake pan and set aside.
Make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until smooth and bubbling. Immediately pour into the prepared pan, tilting to coat the base evenly.
Arrange the figs: While the caramel is still warm, place the halved figs, cut side down, in a spiral pattern over the caramel. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, cardamom, baking soda, and salt.
Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, honey, and eggs until smooth and fully combined.
Make the batter: Fold the dry mixture into the wet mix until incorporated. Take care not to overmix.
Assemble the cake: Pour the batter over the figs, smoothing the surface.
Bake: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool and serve: Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, carefully run a knife around the edges to loosen it. Place a serving plate over the cake pan and quickly invert it to release the cake onto the plate. Gently lift the pan off. Slice and serve.