Place butter in a baking dish; melt butter in the preheated oven, about 5 minutes.
Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a bowl; add milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth; pour into the melted butter. Spoon fig preserves evenly over the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil; bake until bubbling and lightly browned, 20 more minutes.
