fig and orange honey mini cakes

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Fig and Orange Honey Mini Cakes

While re-organizing the huge mess in the cabinet which houses all of my muffin tins, pie, tart, and assorted sheet pans, I came across a mini-popover pan, wrapped in plastic with the receipt taped on it, from the year 2000.  I must have meant to return it, but obviously, I never did. Instead,  I packed it and  moved it from our condo in Orange County, CA to our apartment in downtown Seattle, to our house in Bellevue, WA, and back to Southern California, first to an apartment and then to our current house, still wrapped in its original packaging.

Fig and Orange Honey Cakes

Apparently, thirteen years ago, I wanted to make popovers. Now, looking at the pan, I had two choices: either put it in the giveaway pile or finally unwrap and use it.  I started searching for a recipe for popovers, but found this one for fig cakes first.  So, I used my “new” mini-popover pan to bake these cute mini cakes and they turned out beautifully. I love their shape, which you don’t often see in baked goods. I love baking little cakes like these because they’re so playful and fun to eat!

Fig and Orange Honey Cakes

Along with their pretty appearance, they tasted great, as well.  Figs and honey are a great combination and paired well in these moist and flavorful cakes.  The orange zest provided a citrusy brightness to them while the addition of hazelnut flour added some texture and nutty flavor. These little cakes are perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or served with scones and other sweets for afternoon tea.

Now, if any of you have a recipe for popovers, please pass it along so I can use my pan the way it was intended.

Fig and Orange Honey Cakes
Yields 12 mini-cakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped orange zest (save the juice)
6 ounces (12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup hazelnut flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4  teaspoon baking powder
9 figs, washed and stemmed
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice (from the zested orange)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray mini-popover pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.

Combine the sugar and orange zest, pressing down with a spoon to release the oil from the zest. Cream the butter and sugar/orange zest mixture until creamy, about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

Whisk together the flour, hazelnut meal, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredient mixture all at once to the egg mixture and beat to combine.

Cut 3 figs into quarters and cut the remaining 6 figs into 4 slices.

Fill the molds equally about 2/3 full and submerge a fig quarter into the batter. Arrange two slices on top of the batter. Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes or until the cake is just firm. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then invert the popover pan to remove the cakes.

While the cakes are cooling, stir together the honey and orange juice until well combined. Brush the orange honey generously over each cake.

Cakes can be served warm or at room temperature, perhaps with a dollop of mascarpone cream and chopped walnuts.

Recipe adapted from Suzie Sweet Tooth.

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27 thoughts on “fig and orange honey mini cakes”

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  12. Daisy – another beautiful recipe. Popovers are easy and the KA flour recipe is quite good. Or you can look up a recipe for Yorkshire puddings (they’re the same thing) — I use the BBC recipe. The key, IMO, is in letting the batter rest for a couple of hours before using, and making sure your pan is very, very hot before pouring in the batter. And don’t open the oven until done. Looking forward to seeing what you create! x

    Reply

    • Susan, I never knew popovers and Yorkshire puddings were the same thing! I love the food blogging community because I am constantly inspired by and learn from my fellow bloggers. Thanks for the tips on making them and pointing out some good recipes.

      daisy

      Reply

      • Well, of course the key difference between popovers and yorkies is that yorkshire puddings are usually cooked in beef fat. When I roast bone marrow, I save the fat and use it for yorkshire puddings. 🙂

        Reply

  16. Daisy! What a riot, moving the popover tin from location to location. I’m glad you kept it. Popovers were one of my favorites. I find them magical. (Yes, chemistry in action, but they DO look magical, and hold gravy like a superstar.

    This looks like a really elegant dish and a good one to use for our fig bounty that’s going on. Well done!

    Reply

  17. I have a recipe for popovers on my blog! I used a muffin tin, but I suspect they’d be even better with an actual popover pan.

    Although, those little cakes look so adorable that you might just need to use your pan to make more of them. That’s an option, right?

    Reply

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