This is delicious, seasonal baking at its most comforting. I had a little play with pears last month and there are two recipes you’ll be getting from me over the next week that show them off. Firstly, of course, CAKE. I hope you enjoy it!
I hope you enjoy it! Pop your pics on Instagram and tag me @lowtoxlife and if you loved it, a comment here would be appreciated so other peeps know it’s worth making!
Real Treats. Happy times.
Upside Down Pear Cake
Ingredients
The SYRUP
- 100 g butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup (120g)
- 3 large pears, sliced about 4mm thick into slices of different shapes.
- 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon* (keep ground cinnamon away from children until it’s mixed in, as the ‘dust’ from it can cause them to cough.)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
The CAKE
- 80 g butter
- 1/2 cup rice malt syrup or maple syrup (160g)
- 2 organic, pasture raised eggs
- 1 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk or coconut milk (110g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
- Get a standard sized cake tin lined and ready
- In a large frying pan, put all syrup ingredients except the pear slices, into a medium heat pan
- Add pear slices once the sauce is simmering and cook a further 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat
- Then, pour this syrup out into the base of the cake tin and spread the pears out into a layer about 1cm thick.
- Keep the rest of the syrup for drizzling with wreck-less abandon over cake once it’s done.
For the CAKE
- Whisk the eggs first with a hand beater along with the sweet stuff you’re using, until lightened in colour.
- Then, put all the other ingredients into the mixing bowl and using a hand mixer (or for thermomix just do it all in one go in there on speed 6, 5 seconds. Pause, reverse speed 6 for 4 seconds) mix all ingredients until combined.
- Spoon the batter over the syrup / pear base.
- The syrup will come up around the batter. Don’t panic. That’s fine. Just try and spread it out so the good big blob can be spread to touch the sides of the cake tin.
- Bake for 40 minutes, your oven depending. Do a skewer test at 30 minutes if you have a fanforced oven as you might be done! Skewer is clean? Pull them out. Not clean and has batter on it? Pop back in for a few more minutes.
- Pull out of the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving. Tip upside down onto a plate and flip in one swift go.
- Either serve warm or cool with any syrup leftover, poured on top to serve.
- Top with a dollop of crème fraiche, coconut yoghurt, cashew cream, sour cream, home made ice cream or coconut cream. Knock yourself out!
Allergy notes
Need it to be nut free? Use buckwheat or rice flour instead of the almond meal.
Need it to be dairy free? Use coconut oil instead.
