Upside Fig Cake w/ Raspberries

I brought this gorgeous cake to a friend's birthday party last Sunday.

The hostess called and requested that I "bake a birthday cake please, one that we can put candles in".

Uh, sorry, I said, I don't do icing, frostings, buttercream or layers. I don't know how!

I only bake simple cakes, will a fig cake do?
I can turn it upside down and make it special and we can put a candle in it.

Ok, she said, so an upside down fig cake it would be.

The original recipe called for 3 sticks of butter and 4 eggs.
Too much for me, so I cut it down to 2 sticks (1 cup) and 3 eggs and stuck to the rest of the recipe.
I even bought semolina flour and buttermilk.

You are playing w/ melted butter and sugar, so I took the advice to wrap the outside of the springform pan w/ foil so no leakage from the caramel.
Good idea.

The original recipe has you bake the cake for an hour and 15 at 325F, but I know better.
55 minutes was plenty of time for this cake. Perhaps with the 3 sticks of butter the cake would need more time.
Just follow my recipe, it turned out one GORGEOUS DELICIOUS cake.

I will make this cake forever (well, only during fig season!).

Fig & Raspberry Upside Down Cake (adapted from Taste Food)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1 cup light brown sugar
10-12 large figs, halved lengthwise
8 raspberries
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
zest of a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup semolina (an Italian pasta flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325F.

Butter a 9" springform pan. Line bottom with parchment and butter the parchment. Tightly wrap the bottom of the pan with foil (don't skip this step, the caramel will leak, I promise).

Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter and light brown sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking to combine.
Pour into the springform pan onto the parchment paper. Arrange the figs, cut side down in a circular pattern in the sugar. Fill in the gaps with the raspberries.

Beat 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter and granulated sugar in a mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in buttermilk, zest and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add to the batter, mixing just to combine. Pour over the fruit and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, checking the cake, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove and cool 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate and remove sides. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Sometimes the fruit shifts to the sides and shrinks in baking, don't stress, you have time while it's still warm to put some of the fruit back in place.

Let completely cool before serving.
I made mine in the morning for an evening party.

Not a slice left.
So good.