Fig Pecan Brown Butter Individual Cakes

I once mentioned something about the wicked sensuality of figs. Certainly, they are a special fruit. Maybe its the tender blushing flesh - the exposed insides of a fig just seem so utterly naked - or something about the connotation of fig leaves. Both wanton and modest, sacred and profane. Or perhaps its just the taste: so unlike any other fruit or vegetable that I cannot imagine comparing it to  another.
It is the very unusual taste that makes them so wonderful for such a wide variety of recipes. I only discovered the fig about three years ago, and even then it was a supermarket fig. Even though it was a little lacking in flavor, it was still enchanting. Up until last week, I've been using figs in savory dishes - their very delicate sweetness offsets other ingredients wonderfully. What changed last week is that I chanced upon small Black Mission figs, fresh from the farm. O, and they were divine. They had a delectable figgy flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness, and were obviously, beautifully tree-ripen. Tomorrow, I'm going back to get some more...
And of course, since the figs were so wonderful, I simply had to transform them into something baked and sweet and comforting. Just the ingredients for these little cakes makes me wish I had some left...figs, honey, cream, brown butter, toasted pecans. You can even double or triple the recipe, and stick unbaked ones in the refrigerator so you can have a warm little cake whenever you need one.

Fig Pecan Brown Butter Cakes
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tbsp honey
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp AP flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup toasted, coarsely ground pecans (To toast: place pecan halves in 325°f oven for 15 minutes)
4 small figs
Cut the butter into small cubes. In a small saucepan, brown the butter until it is nut-brown. Remove from heat immediately. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare ramekins: use some of the browned butter to grease 4 6-oz ramekins. Cover the bottom of each ramekin with a  circular piece of parchment paper that completely covers the bottom.
In a medium bowl, combine browned butter, honey, and heavy cream. In a separate larger bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and pecans. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the butter-honey mixture. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet with your whisk.
Cut the figs in half. Place two halves in each ramekin. Pour batter over the figs, so that the batter covers each fig half.
Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325°f. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the surface of the cake springs back when gently pressed. Allow the cakes to cool for approximately 10 minutes before removing from ramekins. Serve with softly whipped cream.