Mini Fig & Papaya Upside-Down Olive-Oil Cakes

I adore the inevitability of this, fruit, sugar, yoghurt, and the promise of a tropical glossy flip. Figs bring perfume, papaya brings sunshine, and olive oil keeps everything moist for tomorrow (if they last). Eat one warm, standing up, and skip the diet today, it’s a must.

Three figs going soft. A wrinkly papaya sulking in the fridge. A bottle of olive oil. A tub of Greek yoghurt on its last good day. This is genuinely what’s left in my fridge before I do another grocery shop. And that’s all it took to make these delightful mini fig and papaya upside-down olive oil cakes.

This is peak “Fridge Raiders” energy, leftover bits in the fridge turned into something properly lovely. The fig slices caramelise against a teaspoon of sugar in each tin. Papaya brings a sunny, gentle sweetness that shouldn’t work with olive oil but absolutely does. Flip them out and you get glossy fruit tops that look far fancier than their origin story.

They’re tender from oil and yoghurt. Light, not flimsy. Breakfast with coffee? Yes. Dessert with a cold dollop of Greek yoghurt? Also yes.

Why this fig + papaya combo works

Figs and papaya aren’t an obvious pairing until you think about it. Both are naturally sweet but not aggressively so. Both have that soft, almost jammy quality when cooked. Figs bring earthy, honeyed notes whilst papaya adds brightness and subtle tropical edge.

I sliced the figs thinly, about three or four figs gave me twelve neat rounds. They need to be thin enough to lie flat in the tin but substantial enough to hold their shape. Too thick and they won’t caramelise properly.

The papaya needs dicing small, about five to seven millimetres. Any bigger and it won’t fit nicely around the fig slices. I used about 180g, roughly half my leftover papaya. If yours is particularly juicy, blot it with kitchen paper first to avoid sticking.

The Olive Oil Makes These Upside-Down Cakes Special

I used light olive oil because that’s what was open, but vegetable oil works too. Olive oil gives a slightly richer, more complex flavour than neutral oil, subtle but noticeable. It also keeps these mini fig and papaya upside-down olive oil cakes incredibly moist for days.

The batter comes together quickly. Whisk two eggs with 130g of caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened. This aerates the mixture and gives lighter crumb. Then whisk in 90ml of oil and 120g of Greek yoghurt. Fold in flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt. Thick but pourable; a few lumps are fine.

The Therapeutic Bit. Assembling Your Fig and Papaya Cakes

There’s something quietly satisfying about the assembly. Brush each hole of a twelve-hole muffin tin with oil don’t skimp or they’ll stick. Sprinkle a teaspoon of caster sugar into each base. The sugar caramelises during baking and creates that glossy top when flipped.

Lay one fig slice in each hole. Then add about a teaspoon of diced papaya around it, tucking pieces in wherever they fit. The fruit base doesn’t need perfection. It’ll all caramelise together and look gorgeous once flipped.

This is the meditative part the careful placing, the repetition, the gentle spooning of batter into each tin. Fill each hole to just below the rim about two heaped tablespoons per cake. These aren’t muffins but proper little cakes with structure.

Baking Mini Fig and Papaya Upside-Down Olive Oil Cakes

Bake at 190°C (170°C fan) for fourteen to eighteen minutes. Mine took sixteen. You want them springy to touch and a skewer inserted should come out clean. The tops will be golden and edges just starting to pull away.

Let them cool for five minutes in the tin. This is important, flip too soon and they’ll fall apart. Too late and they’ll stick. Five minutes is the sweet spot.

Loosen the edges with a small palette knife, then place a lined baking tray over the tin and flip the whole thing in one confident motion. They should release cleanly, fruit-side up, glossy and caramelised.

If any stick and occasionally one will be stubborn, pop the whole tin back into hot oven for two minutes. The heat loosens the sugar and they’ll release when you try again.

This is exactly why I love “Fridge Raider” days. You start with odds and ends that need using and end up with something genuinely impressive. These little fig and papaya cakes are proof that some of the best baking happens when you’re working with what you’ve got rather than shopping for a recipe!

In search of more bakes? Try my Chocolate Courgette Cake – ridiculously moist, one bowl, vanishes faster than you can make a cup of te to go with it! And for spoon-dessert people, my Apple Miso Caramel Pots hit that salty-sweet craving! Watch me make these in real life over on my Tik Tok channel too!