(RSF & GF)
This cake is so full of autumn vibes. It’s gluten free and of course refined sugar free too. Plus it’s deliciously moist & tastes divine.
I love the way the seasonal changes creep up. Like how do we suddenly go from flip flops to chunky knits? Suddenly the evenings are shorter and things are definitely getting more chilly... but beyond the initial pang of mourning the summer, there’s so much to learn from the changing seasons.
Autumn signals the retreat from our incessant busyness and drop our leaves of accumulated baggage. It’s the time for us to go back to our roots and tend again to what we really need physically & mentally. The autumn holds space for us to slow things down a little & to refocus.
As the weather transitions it’s good for us to look at how we can transition physically too and look after our health. There’s less sunshine, the indoor heating is being cranked up in place of fresh air & there’ll be the typical bugs beyond Covid.
This time of year calls for more attention on our health and well being. Here’s where eating enriched diets with lots of bioavailable nutrients can ease us in to autumn & winter.
The use of spices is something that’ll always feature in my cooking, but even more so in the autumn months. Aside from all the beautiful flavour they add, spices are fortifying,
immune boosting & warming too.
This spiced almond & pear cake made with wholesome, unprocessed ingredients is stunningly tasty and comforting and is a sweet reminder of all that’s beautiful about these autumnal months ahead.
Fairly straight forward to make and worth every second of effort.
INGREDIENTS
200g butter (plus 20g to melt in the pan)
5 pears, sliced
15 dates (soaked for 15 mins in enough boiling water to cover them)
4 eggs
220g almond flour
1 tbsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
METHOD
Pre heat the over to 170. In a heavy bottomed pan melt 20g butter and add 1/3 of the spices until they become aromatic then add the sliced pears. As they start to catch add a little of the water from the soaked dates. Gently fry until sticky/browned
Remove the pears gently from the pan so as not to break them, then place them in a lined/greased baking tin.
Drain the dates, reserving the water, add them to a processor and whizz until a smooth paste, add a little of the water if necessary to loosen the dates so they are a smooth paste consistency.
In a mixing bowl beat the butter and add the date paste and remaining spices and mix together until smooth
Add the eggs one at a time until each one is incorporated in to the mixture throughly then add the almond flour and mix together
Gently pour the combined mixture over the pears in the cake tin, being careful not to move the pears. Place in the oven for 35 mins
Pierce the cake with a cocktail stick, check if it comes out clean, if it does remove it from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. When cooled, carefully flip the cake upside on to a plate and serve.
Check out the rest of my website for more healthy recipes with no added sugar, along with help and advice on living a low or no sugar lifestyle.
You can find out more about the benefits of cutting out excess sugar from your diet hey watching my video below or reading my blog here.
And if you would like to experience all of the benefits of a sugar detox you can sign up to my 21 Day Sugar Detox here.