Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Allow it to cook after melting, until lightly browned and emitting a nutty scent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the browned butter to cool.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Toast the almonds in a 350-degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes, then finely grind them. Add them to the flour mixture. Set aside Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

Pour the browned butter into a mixer equipped with a whip attachment. Add the sugar and whip on high speed. Add the eggs one at a time at 30-second intervals, while continuing to whip. Fold the dry mixture into the butter-egg mixture until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Cut the hard stems off the figs and cut each fruit lengthwise into 6 wedges.

Using a sharp knife, trim the tops and bottoms off the oranges, then cut all the peel and pith from the flesh, working your way around the fruit.

Section the oranges by cutting between each membrane and removing each wedge of fruit. Fold the fig wedges and orange sections into the batter.

(If using papaya instead of figs, peel and cut into 1 inch chunks. If using banana instead of figs, slice into 1 inch slices.)

Prepare a 10 inch round cake or springform pan by greasing with butter or oil and dusting with flour, tapping out any excess. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack. When cooled, invert it onto a serving dish. Sift powdered sugar over the top. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.