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.