“Cake is happiness. If you know the way of the cake, you know the way of happiness! – C. Joybell C.
There’s no arguing when it comes to such wise words. Cake has something magical about it; from the therapeutic stages of baking to the gleeful moment of consuming a slice that’s the size of your face.
The Health Emporium family is very proud of its cake-loving skills. From our staff to our customers, we love cake in all shapes and forms; be it raw, baked or frozen. We’re genuine fans.
We’re a week into Winter, and are already stuffing the oven with tins of beautiful, warm baked goods.
Organic pears are in-season and so beautiful at this time of the year.
Pears are a nutrient dense food, containing significant amounts of potassium, Vitamin C and fiber. They are good for the skin, the intestines and the heart, and according to traditional Chinese medicine, they are extremely beneficial for the lungs. And what better way to squeeze the nutrients from them, then to add them to cake?
This recipe is based on an amazing pear cake from the Macrina Bakery in Seattle. The taste buds are teased with deep hints of cinnamon, gingerbread-like texture and a sweet, fruity zest.
Caramelised Pear, Ginger and Almond Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- 50 G Butter Can substitute coconut butter
- 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup Or rice syrup
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt Unrefined
- 5 Large Pears Peeled, cored and sliced lengthways into quarters
- 225 G Butter At room temperature, or coconut butter
- 2/3 Cup Rice Syup
- 2 Tbsp Ginger Freshly grated & peeled
- 3 Large Eggs At room temperature
- 1/2 Cup Molasses
- 1 1/2 Cup Almond Meal
- 1 1/2 Cup Wholemeal Spelt Flour
- 4 Tsp Baking Powder Aluminium-free
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Tsp Spices Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spices* or substitute with ground mixed spice
- 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt Unrefined
- 1 1/2 Cup Milk Can substitute almond or coconut milk
- Creme Fraiche Thick cream, or sheep's yoghurt to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 C. Butter a 23 cm springform cake tin, and line the base with a 26 cm circle of baking paper.
- To make the topping: put the butter, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon in a small saucepan, and stir over a medium heat until the butter has melted, cook for two more minutes.
- Pour the topping into the cake tin, making sure the base is completely covered. Place the pear slices in a pretty, circular pattern on top of the caramel, making sure there are no gaps between them.
- To make the batter: beat the butter and rice syrup in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, for approximately 5 minutes.
- Stir in the grated ginger, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Mix in the molasses and make sure it's well incorporated. Don't worry if at this stage it looks as if your cake is separating, it will all come together when the dry ingredients are added.
- In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, spice mix and salt. Stir through the almond meal and mix well.
- Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the cake batter, then 1/3 of the milk, alternating until it's all combined. It's very important to not over-mix the batter at this stage.
- Pour the cake batter on top of the pears, and bake for 110 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before carefully placing a serving plate over the tin and inverting it.
- The cake is lovely when served warm, with creme fraiche, cream or yoghurt.
