Who would cut a cake like this? I ask. Someone in my kitchen did… This was what I woke up to this morning. Pears are in season now. Believe or not, pears have more nutritious value than apples and prices are comparable. Use them. Ripe timing of pears seem to be shorter than apples, but for this cake, the ripeness of pears don’t matter since they will be cooked in the oven. This batter seems rather dry before it bakes, but juice of fruits come out as they are baked and loosen up the batter. The result is a very moist cake, more like a pudding.
Ingredients (for 9×9 baking pan):
3 pears
1 lemon (juice and zest)
2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup raw almonds (grind them to meal)
1 1/2 cup gluten free flour mix
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup orange juice or any vegan milk
1/4 cup sunflower oil or earth balance
4 oz apple sauce
To Serve (optional):
1 Tbs blackberry jam per serving
1 Tbs lemon juice per serving
1 Tbsp water per serving
vegan ice cream or coconut whip cream
- In a small bowl, put 2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds in. Add 1/4 cup orange juice or any vegan milk. Stir. Let it soak.
- Core pears. Dice them. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp brown sugar.
- Oil the baking pan. Dust with flour.
- In a big bowl, mix oil, soaked flaxseeds, almond extract, and applesauce.
- Add the rest of ingredients in the big bowl. Mix.
- Fold pears in the batter.
- Pour the batter in the baking pan. Flatten the surface with a wet hand. It’s chunky, I know.
- Scatter blackberries on top.
- Bake at 350 ºF for 40-50 minutes or until done. The top looks golden and if you press it, it’s springy.
- Let it cool at least 10 minutes before you cut.
- If you want to dress it up, in a small sauce pan, heat up 1 Tbsp blackberry jam, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp water until it melts. Add a scoop of ice cream or whip cream on a side, if you like. Pour the sauce all over the cake.
*I like this cake to be warm.