This gluten-free fig cake is so moist and delicious! It has a secret ingredient to make it even more flavorful and soft but the pistachios on top will give you a little hint…
This fig cake is very similar to a pineapple upside down cake but with fresh figs. Even those who don’t traditionally love figs, will love this dessert!

I don’t traditionally like cake but this gluten-free upside down fig cake is the best! The reason I wouldn’t typically choose cake for a dessert is because it’s usually so dry. That’s why I almost only make and enjoy upside down cakes.
I have a little secret, I like pretty, pretentious looking food. Ok there I said it! Figs are one of those stunning foods that look soooo pretty.

However, if you’ve ever tasted a fresh fig, they aren’t quite as tasty as they look. At least I didn’t think so anyway. I do however, love them when they are roasted or placed in other recipes. I really like them in recipes actually!

They are great in our fig mocktail. I bet they would be so tasty roasted with sugar and topped on this perfect gluten-free angel food cake from Erin at Meaningful Eats.
For this cake, the figs get caramelized and they are so buttery and sprinkled with brown sugar. Oh my goodness, they are so delicious! The whole cake itself is especially moist. I think in part to the fresh figs but also due to a secret ingredient…

Ok, the secret ingredient is gluten-free instant pistachio pudding. The pudding makes the cake so very soft and not at all dry. It also gives it an amazing pistachio flavor that pairs so well with the fresh figs and raw pistachios crushed on top of the cake. We actually have a pistachio tree in the front yard of our home. So we love picking them as fresh as can be! They are actually a lot of work to shell but the flavor is so robust and delicious. I love using them in recipes like this fig cake.

Notes for this Gluten-Free Upside Down Fig Cake

Any gluten-free cake mix will work. However, I like the gluten-free betty crocker cake mix or Bob’s Red Mill brands.
Be sure to let the cake sit for 10 minutes before you remove it from the pan so the crust has time to crystalize. Otherwise it will be too runny.
If you’d like to exchange the brown sugar for coconut sugar you can.

Fig Cake Upside Down {Gluten-Free}

Author: Chandice Probst
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8-10
Category: Dessert
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American

Description

This fig cake is very similar to a pineapple upside down cake but with fresh figs. Even those who don’t traditionally love figs, will love this dessert!

Ingredients

1 box (15 oz.) gluten-free vanilla cake mix, prepared according to package directions
1 box dry vanilla pudding mix
4-5 fresh figs sliced 1/4 inch thick (stem removed)
6 T butter
2/3 C brown sugar

Instructions

Combine prepared gluten-free cake mix with dry pudding
Spray a 9 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray
Place 3 tablespoons of melted butter in the bottom then sprinkle with 1/3 cup brown sugar
Place sliced figs on top of the brown sugar arranging to your liking
Bake cake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out nearly clean with just a few crumbs (no longer wet)
Remove the cake from oven and let cool 10 minutes
Using a knife, do a circle around the cake to gently remove it from the sides of the pan
Place a plate or your cakestand for serving over the pan and flip the cake over to remove

Notes

Any gluten-free cake mix will work. However, I like the gluten-free betty crocker cake mix or Bob’s Red Mill brands.
Be sure to let the cake sit for 10 minutes before you remove it from the pan so the crust has time to crystalize. Otherwise it will be too runny.
If you’d like to exchange the brown sugar for coconut sugar you can.

Keywords: gluten-free, easy dessert, classic recipe

If you like this cake recipe, be sure to give these a try as well…

Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake