Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: pears

  • Vegan Cardamom Pear Almond “Cream Cheese” Pie

    Vegan Cardamom Pear Almond “Cream Cheese” Pie

    Back when I was in college, one of my favorite things ever was roasted pears.  It might not sound that exciting, but boy were they ever good!  I know most people choose apples over pears for things like pies and roasting, but the sweet pears tasted amazing once baked to spiced caramelized perfection.  I have no idea where I even got the idea to make the pears this way, but I think I made them almost every day one winter.  I would put them in a baking dish with apple juice, spices and some maple syrup around them, cover and bake them for a while (so they essentially sort of poached) until they were incredibly sweet, tender and delicious.  I would then top them off with a local creamy goat cheese.  Not one that was goaty, but one that was mild, creamy and delicious.  Man, was that a good combination.  Not only that, it was a relatively simple and affordable dessert to make. It has been ages since I made that, and come to think of it, I could make it with my vegan chevre, and should soon.  But I was thinking about it the other day when my coworker gave me a big bag of pears from her Dad’d trees.  I thought, why not make a pie with the same sort of flavors going on.

    I was thinking about making just a spiced pear pie and serving it with ice cream, or maybe some coconut whipped cream for that creamy element that the chevre gave the inspiring other dish.  But that wasn’t enough for me. What I ended up with was a pear pie spiced with cardamom, and a bit of cinnamon. This was just the beginning, and going off of that other idea.  I thought, why not include the creamy element in the actual pie?  So I added a delicious rich vegan cream cheese layer for that creamy chevre element.  Now, every pie needs a good crust, and one of my favorite things in the world is not crusts because they are so rich and delicious!  So the pears and cream cheese were housed in an almond crust and almond oat crumble topping. It smelled amazing while baking, and most importantly once it was finished it was super delicious.

    This is like my dream pie, it has it all.  Creamy, crunchy, sweet, jammy, salty… crave worthy deliciousness. The only sad part was waiting for it to cool so I could cut into it.  If you have pears on hand, and some free time to spend in the kitchen, definitely give this a try.  It is the perfect time of year to do so, while the pears are amazing! I hope you are all having a wonderful Fall so far!

    Vegan Cardamom Pear Almond “Cream Cheese” Pie
    Makes one 9 inch pie

    Crust:

     

    Filling:

    • 4 large organic pears (I like bartlett or d’anjou), sliced
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
    • 3/4 tsp cardamom
    • 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

     

    Cream Cheese:

    • 3/4 cup thick organic coconut milk (from the top of a chilled can)
    • 3/4 cup cashew butter
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp almond extract
    • 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
    • 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch

     

    Topping:

    • 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free baking flour
    • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1 1/2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp gluten free rolled oats
    • 1/3 cup chopped almonds
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the crust, in a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, and spices. Cut in coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until it is in pea sized pieces. Mix in  just enough water to create a smooth dough that holds together but isn’t too sticky. Add more water if needed, and knead slightly until a smooth dough is created. Roll out into a 10 inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper, then use the paper to help you transfer it to an 9 inch pie dish.  Flute the edges, and set aside in the refrigerator.
    2. To make the pears, combine the pears, maple syrup, cinnamon and cardamom in a saucepan, and cook covered over medium heat, stirring often for about 15 minutes, or until the pears are soft and starting to turn translucent.  Dissolve the arrowroot starch in the lemon juice, and add it to the pears.  Stir until thickened, and remove from heat and set aside.
    3. Pre-heat the oven to 375F degrees.
    4. To make the cream cheese, whisk together all ingredients until smooth and set aside.
    5. To assemble the pie, pour the cream cheese layer over the crust, then scatter the pear filling over that.
    6. Meanwhile, mix together the topping ingredients in a bowl and squeeze with your hands to form clumps.
    7. Scatter the topping over the pie, place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the edges of the crust are lightly brown, and pie is set.  Remove from the oven to a wire rack.
    8. Allow to cool completely before serving.
  • Vegan Caramel Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Vegan Caramel Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Pear Caramel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 4

    Apples get all the love in the fall.  But you know who else deserves some love?  The pears.  If you get a perfectly ripe pear that is sweet, juicy and delicious, it is like dessert.  I was never that fond of pears growing up, but that was because the ones I are mostly came in cans with syrup.  Just not the same, and nothing like fresh ones.  When I started to buy fresh ones, I fell in love.  D’anjou are my favorite, because they are perfectly sweet, but I am not going to turn down a good Bartlett.  Which is the most widely available kind around here.  I saw some perfect pears at the store last weekend and I had to get some.  I didn’t yet know what I was going to use them for, but I knew they would be delicious.  I thought about a pie, mixing them with some apples I had also picked up, but I had just made pie, so I decided it was a cake baking weekend.

    Pear Caramel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 2

    It has been a while since I have made a pear cake, so it was perfect.  I was craving caramel, and cream cheese frosting, so I decided on a vegan caramel pear cake with cream cheese frosting.  For the cake, I used the pears pureed along with some dates to sweeten it.  This also gave it a beautiful caramel flavor.  The cake layers themselves are actually fruit sweetened.  The sweeter and more juicy the pears you have, the better this cake will taste.  I added a little almond butter as well to the batter for richness, and some cinnamon to make it more aromatic, and it tasted wonderful.  Yes, I always taste my batter.  Something I learned when I was young… because I wanted something sweet, but now it is also to make sure I didn’t miss an ingredient.  One time, I actually forgot to add the sweetener and I realized it before baking luckily thanks to my cravings for cake batter.

    Pear Caramel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

    I made a date caramel to fill and top the cake off with, and a luscious cream cheese frosting to cover it.  All of the components of the cake were coming together and tasting amazing on their own, so I couldn’t wait to enjoy the finished product!  It was just as I had imagined, and the perfect end to a weekend meal.  Sweet with the essence of pear, gooey caramel, and creamy decadent cream cheese frosting.  This is something I would pay big bucks for in a bakery, just sayin.

    Pear Caramel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 1

    Vegan Caramel Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
    Makes 1 6 inch 2 layer cake

    Ingredients:

    2 6 inch cake pans

    Cake:

    • 1 1/2 cups quinoa flour (or all purpose gluten free flour)
    • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 cup packed soft medjool dates, pitted, soaked in water for 30 minutes and 1 cup of the soaking water reserved
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup pureed ripe pears
    • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

     

    Caramel:

    • 1 cup soft, pitted medjool dates (if not soft, soak in filtered water 30 minutes and drain well)
    • 1/4 cup filtered water (or as needed)
    • 1/4 cup almond butter
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • pinch sea salt

     

    Frosting:

    • 1 15 oz can full fat organic coconut milk at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup raw cashew butter
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1/4 tsp cider vinegar
    • 1/2 cup melted coconut butter (warmed to liquid)
    • 2 Tbsp melted cacao butter* (warmed to liquid)

     

    Directions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides lightly with oil so that the cake doesn’t stick and line the bottom of the pan.
    2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl to blend well.  Set aside.
    3. Place dates, reserved water, almond butter, pear puree, and vanilla extract into a blender, and blend until smooth, then whisk this blended mixture into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in the cider vinegar until bubbles form. Transfer cake batter to prepared pans and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cakes out onto plates, and peel off parchment paper. Slice each in half horizontally so that you have 4 layers (being really careful, because it is delicate).  Set aside, covered so that it doesn’t dry out.
    4. To make the caramel, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth (add a little more water if too thick).  Set aside.
    5. To make the frosting, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth.  Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer until the consistency of stiffly whipped cream (about 30-45 minutes depending on how warm it has gotten.  Once it is ready place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
    6. To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate, and spread frosting 1/4 inch thick over it.  Then spread some of the caramel over that.  Place the other cake layer over that, then spread more frosting, and caramel over it like the last layer.  Repeat with another layer, and top off with last piece of cake.  Spread the remaining frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake.

    ***If you would like a 2 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans.  It will take longer to bake, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

    *If you do not have cacao butter, you may use additional coconut butter in its place.  Just keep in mind the frosting will not taste like white chocolate.



  • Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones

    Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones

    I work in a deli, and my coworker often bakes scones. They all smell amazing, and I think they are my favorite thing to have sitting next to me on the cooling rack because the heavenly aroma they give off makes me happy.  I used to make a lot of scones at home, but sadly, it has been a while since that last batch.

    I haven’t baked scones in years actually, and I figured it was about time I revamped my old recipe and healthified it to fit my standards. Because they were sounding so good to me! So, one night last week when I wanted something warm from the oven, scones it was!  I have been wanting to try scones made with oat flour in place of regular flour and coconut oil in place of the butter for a while, so now was my chance.  Would they behave like my other scones did in the oven? Or would the coconut oil melt too much?

    Turns out they baked up beautifully!  I ended up making pear scones, since I had a lovely perfectly ripe pear sitting on my counter.  I added in oats for substance, walnuts for crunch and maple just because I love the scent of it with oats and fruit.  These smelled amazing while baking and tasted even better.  I think they may even be more delicious than my old scones!

    Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones
    Makes 8

    2 cups plus 2 Tbsp gluten free oat flour
    1 cup gluten free rolled oats
    1/2 cup coconut sugar
    2 1/2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp cinnamon

    1/4 tsp salt

    1/2 cup coconut oil, cut into chunks
    1 cup cold full fat orgainc canned coconut milk (whisked until smooth if chunky)
    1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
    1 tsp maple extract
    2 medium sized ripe, organic pears cut into chunks
    1/2 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
    coconut milk for topping
    coconut sugar for sprinkling

    Preheat oven to 425 with the rack set at the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla and maple extract into the coconut milk. Add the coconut milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. fold in pears and walnuts until evenly distributed. place dough on a floured work surface, and shape into a 4 inch wide log. Use a bench scraper to cut into trianges. There should be about 8. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary. Brush the tops lightly with the coconut milk, and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown (after about 15 minutes you may need to reshape with 2 bench scrapers if the scones are spreading, then place back in the oven). Cool on a wire rack.