Fresh Fig Butterscotch Snacking Cake
Sticky and buttery fig snacking cake!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled slightly
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- salt
- 1/4 cup butterscotch chips
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh figs about 5 small figs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8x8-inch pan. Set aside
- Beat together the sugar, molasses and vanilla in a bowl until it is light brown and lump free. Beat in the egg until well incorporated.
- Beat the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, until a thick, smooth batter forms. Fold in the chips and figs.
- Scrape into the pan and even the surface out with the back of a spoon. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool, in pan, completely on a wire rack.
- Slice and serve.
- Store leftovers in an air tight container.
Notes
- I actually added the vanilla to butter when I melted it. I don’t know if it makes a difference but I did. I also like adding a drop to butter when when melt it to pour over air popped popcorn so I am a renegade.
- I like these Pyrex baking dishes with the lids that just pop on for baking brownies, blondies and anything that can cool in the pan.
We have three fig trees. The biggest one is close to the house and a bit of a surprise, we got it from a Baltimore City-sponsored tree giveaway at Druid Hill Park and is the “Little Miss Figgy” variety. A variety that is supposed to top out at like four feet. Why us this tree about twice as tall as I am? It also fruits twice, once in late spring and then again around now. That is a lot of figs! We try to get to as many as possible but we are not that tall and the birds love it! I walked out just now and saw a cardinal chomping away. He didn’t even fly off, he just hopped to another branch and kept going. I’m glad I am able to provide such fine dining options to the birds of Baltimore City.
I had the idea to make blondies with fresh figs this year. I didn’t want to make a whole big iced cake or muffins or make jam or pickle them and most fig recipes and suggestions are for dried figs. That makes sense since figs are highly perishable, fragile and expensive but figs are abundant not only in my own yard but in my whole neighborhood despite not being native. I don’t want to leave all of the them for the birds. I almost did though.
I kept thinking about adding figs to blondies and just went for it. What do I have to lose? This recipe is pretty close to a classic blondie* but thanks to the moisture from the figs it ends up more cake-like than chewy. It’s not a cute dish. But that’s okay because I am posting the recipe for my amusement and to help you eat delicious this. This sticky brown square is delicious! It’s butterscotch-y yet fresh tasting from the figs. Just a real nice little quick snacking cake. You don’t even have to soften the butter because you melt it.
*I think if you left the figs out it would be the perfect blondie, actually. The proportions don’t lie. You could just use dark brown sugar instead of sugar + molasses.
