Vegan Baked Pancake with Figs + Opal Apple

It's almost harvest season. The sun is almost in Virgo, the season of harvest and late summer produce. This season explodes with plenty of yellow and purple flowers and fruit. The sun is a deep golden color at sunset during harvest season. The colors inspired me to create a recipe that combines purple and yellow without losing its authentic color during the cooking process. 

I found this 1980's dress while on a trip home last year to Cleveland. The deep purple perfectly matched the color of figs and complimented the purple butterfly bushes that sit outside of my apartment. 

The nearby library's lawn is even littered with a field of purple and yellow flowers. And to this I decided to try pancakes a different way. Pancakes are amazing but it does the time to cook an entire batch of batter. 

Good things do take time, but I decided to save some time by trying to bake pancake batter, and top them with the local inspiration of yellow and purple. 

"Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen."
Epictetus

The combination of these two fruits are spiritual in nature. Many question what was the forbidden fruit? Was it a fig? Was it a golden apple? Whatever anyone thinks, these two are complimentary in health and in its historical sacredness. 

The golden apple appears in many fairytales and folklores with the hero retrieving the golden apple.

Figs also bear spiritual and mystical symbolism as it bears the shape of an egg, or symbolic to the life force that is held within the male genitalia. Some say its a symbol for fertility where others believe figs are a sign of enlightenment. 

The color purple is also a sign of higher consciousness as it is the color of the crown chakra. Yellow is the color of our navel center, which is our power center and the place of our life force energy. 

One thing to note about cooking with opal apples, is that it is the one non-gmo apple that doesn't brown immediately upon cutting. Besides the color, I chose to bake with opal apples because it keeps its flavor, shape, form and color. Enjoy! 

This vintage dress and other vintage items are available on my Etsy shop, The Elizabethan Closet.
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Vegan Baked Pancake with Figs + Opal Apple
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup of pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/3 cup nondairy milk
1.5 tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce
6 figs, halved
1 small opal apple, sliced
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
Cinnamon

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (the first three on the list). In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and the sugar together (ingredients 4-7). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well combined. 

Grease an 8 or 9 inch round pan, and pour the batter inside the pan evenly ( I used a 9 inch pan). 

In a skillet, heat up 1-2 tbsp of maple syrup and sprinkle as much cinnamon as you'd like (around 1/8 tsp). Next, cook the apples for 1-3 minutes in the maple syrup to soften the slices. Keep the heat over medium-low. 

Once finished, layer the figs and apple slices on top of the pancake batter. Slightly press it in so it stays. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Depending on the size of your pan it will determine the baking time. Usually baked goods are done once it becomes fragrant and a fork or knife comes out clean from poking the middle of the pancake. The edges will be a light golden brown. 

​Serve warm with maple syrup! 

Let's Connect! Enjoy my other figs or apple recipes below! 

Vegan Sour Cream + Apple Bundt Bread Cake

Roasted Figs w/ Agave, Sage + Walnut

Vegan Caramel Apple Smoothie

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