Now that I am a grown up, I like figs. When I was a child, not so much. My neighbor lady would babysit me every now and then and she would try to feed me fig newtons for a snack. When you are a kid, fig newtons are not exactly your cookie of choice. When she was not looking, I would slip her dog those newtons.  She must have loved fig newtons because it was the only cookie she ever offered me. The dog and I became good friends fast. Now that I am a grown up I can appreciate a good fig. One of the things I like about figs is that they are so beautiful. When you cut into a fresh fig it is so vibrant in color and you cannot help but pause for a bit before you actually eat one. Figs have such a short season here and I love to buy figs when they are at the peak of ripeness. These cakes after baking are topped with a citrus and honey emulsion that makes these cakes really special. Do not skip that step.

Fig and Honey Cakes

yield: about 6-8 cakes

1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 Cup sugar

2 eggs

zest of one lemon

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 Cup almond meal

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1/2  tsp. salt

1/2  tsp. baking powder

zest of one lemon

2 Tablespoons clover honey

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400° degrees F. Using non-stick baking spray; spray either a silicone baba au rhum molded pan or spray a non stick mini-popover mold pan. Cream the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Add the lemon zest and almond extract and stir to combine. Combine the almond meal, flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredient mixture all at once to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat to combine.

2. Fill the molds equally about 2/3 full and submerge a fig quarter into the batter. Gently rest another fig quarter on top of the batter of each. Bake at 400° degrees F for about 20-23 minutes or until the cake is just firm. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then invert the cake mold remove the cakes. While the cakes are cooling for the first 10 minutes stir together the honey and lemon juice until combined.  Spoon the honey and lemon mixture over each cake. Cakes can be served warm or at room temperature.