Pear + Pumpkin Spice Cake

This recipe is adapted from my own Honey Pumpkin Cake;  it takes about 15 minutes to make, 45 minutes to bake, and serves 12-14.  It’s not quite vegan, but you can make it so by using flax eggs rather than the eggs mentioned here.  You can use bottled or fresh pears for the batter, but will need sliced fresh pears to decorate the top of each layer.  Also, it helps the texture if you let the batter sit in the pans for ten minutes or so before baking.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 x 15 oz can organic pumpkin purée – 2 cups if you are making your own purée
4 oz (one stick) vegan baking shortening, melted and allowed to cool
½ cup honey AND ½ cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp coarse kosher salt
1 lb blanched almond flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp Jamaican allspice (or you can use pumpkin pie spice, if you have any – I don’t)
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthum gum (optional)
Two ripe pears – any type – with a dozen thin slices cut first, and the rest in ¼” dice

Optional Vegan Icing: ½ cup cashews, 8 oz vegan cream cheese, sugar, flavoring (recipe below)

Method:

1.   Preheat oven to 350°F; oil two 8” spring-form pans and line with oiled baking parchment.

2.   In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then beat in the pumpkin, melted shortening, honey, molasses, vanilla, and salt, mixing until smooth.

3.   Whisk in the almond flour, spices, baking soda, and xanthum gum until well mixed. Fold in the diced pears.

4.   Spoon the batter into the prepared spring-form pans, and smooth out the top of each.

5.   Arrange the slices of pear in a sunburst pattern on one layers.

6.   Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7.   Pull out of the oven and cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving, or wait until fully cooled before transferring to a cake tin for transport. Slice and serve.

8   The cake will keep for 2-3 days, especially if wrapped in plastic. It also freezes well; cut the spare cake into slices and store in a glass or plastic tub with a tight lid.

Optional Vegan Icing: 

Soak ½ cup raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes.  Run through the NutriBullet, adding an 8 oz container of vegan cream cheese.  Add 1 tsp organic sugar and 1-2 Tbsp liqueur or flavoring to taste.  Process again until perfectly smooth;  slather between the layers — not on top — or hand round separately.

Click here for the printable recipe:  Pear+Pumpkin Spice Cake.