Fig Cake
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup fig preserves (see note)
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
Frosting
1 cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Add all cake batter ingredients into a large bowl; stir until well blended. Scoop batter into greased tube pan; bake about 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool on rack 5 minutes; remove from pan.
In the meantime, combine in a saucepan all frosting ingredients and boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Poke holes in cake with a fork and pour hot frosting over warm cake. Let sit 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.
Serves 10 to 12.
Cook's note: To make your own fig preserves, cook 1½ pounds ripe figs, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a heavy stainless steel pan until the consistency of heavy jam, about 25-35 minutes. Stir often.