Time: 1hr 10 mins
I've been home for the holidays for about a week now and have been trying to get settled into a routine of studying that allows me to get the right amount of work done but also to relax; which so far hasn't been that easy, procrastination seems to be my favourite (and least favourite) word right now, I have an assignment due and two exams in January meaning that I really need to just bite the bullet and get on with it! I finally started my assignment today, which in my eyes is better than nothing and I'm trying not to get stressed and embrace the saying "you don't have to get it right (in my case - finished), you just have to get it going and I'm going to start each day thinking this, hoping the momentum of it will keep me going and I'll get a decent amount of work done.
This after noon after I couldn't focus anymore I decided that I needed to make something tasty to give my brain a break and allow myself to relax and de-stress, I hadn't yet made a vegan cake previous to this and I couldn't locate the flax that I thought was left so I improvised on ingredients with what was in the house hoping that the cake would actually rise and wouldn't be too dry or dense, luckily it was a complete success and I may have eaten a few too many slices already - whoops! I used orange juice to add flavour to the cake but mainly for the acid which reacts with the baking agents to create bubbles, keeping the cake light, however you could substitute this for the same volume of lemon juice or cider vinegar. This cake is based on an upsidedown cake, with the fruit keeping the cake moist and fluffy, I however baked it in a loaf tin with the absence of a cake tin in the house. My mum came home and instantly asked what I'd been making from the delicious smell throughout the house, she thought the cake was heavenly and couldn't believe it was vegan, this cake is full of winter spices and will excite your taste buds as well as your sense of smell. There's nothing better than simple food that tastes great and this recipe is a great example of exactly that.
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| Ingredients |
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| Spiced Pears |
You'll need:
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Cup measurement
Chopping Board
Peeler
Knife
Tsp
Ingredients:
2 pears
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp dark muscavado sugar
1.5 cups wholemeal plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 cup oil (olive, coconut, vegetable)
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp orange juice
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| Cake Batter |
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| Winter Spiced Pear Cake |
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| Winter Spiced Pear Cake |
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| A Slice of Cake |
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Peel the pairs and cut into small pieces and place in the bottom of the cake tin, sprinkle with 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 2 tbsp sugar.
- Place the rest of the dry ingredients and spices in the mixing bowl and whisk together, making sure there are no lumps.
- Add the water, oil and vanilla and whisk together well, before adding the orange juice and whisking again, allowing bubbles to be created.
- Pour the cake mix into the tin on top of the pears and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool slightly before transferring to a plate and slicing, serve up and enjoy! Cassidy xx
Winter Spiced Pear Cake
