Pear Spice Cake (Gluten Free/Vegan)

Who doesn't love a good spice cake? I know I do! I'm almost tempted to call this "tea time pear cake" because I always end up wanting to serve it with tea. The cake itself is subtly sweet and although there isn't any butter in it, it has a buttery feel. Coconut oil sure is a magical substance! Speaking of magical substances... Aquafaba. I swear I didn't make up this word. It's the juice found in your can of chickpeas! You can use it as a vegan egg substitute in baking anything from cakes to meringues to marshmallows! From what I have read 3 tbsp= 1 whole egg 2 tbsp= 1 egg white. If you're making something fluffy such as meringues, you whip it until it forms peaks, just as you would with egg whites. For this cake, I wanted to see what would happen if I whipped the aquafaba slightly because the first time I made the cake it was a little dense. I whipped it only until it was a thick froth without peaks. It worked out well, making the cake less dense. If you start using this in your cooking, play around with it. It might take a few tries to figure out exactly how to work with it, but in the things I've made, I haven't been able to tell there are eggs missing! I'm not vegan, and 5 or 6 non-vegan people have tried this, and always want seconds. It's darn tasty!

Ingredients

1 cup GF flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 non-GMO corn starch or corn starch substitute

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cups of unrefined/raw sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 cups almond milk or other nondairy milk

8 TBSP melted coconut oil

8 TBSP heaping whipped aquafaba or 6 TBSP non-whipped aquafaba

1 Large ripe Bartlet pear

Almond slices

Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

Add milk and coconut oil.

Stir to combine.

Fold in aquafaba a couple TBSP at a time.

Prepare a springform pan by coating with coconut oil and tapping sugar to coat bottom and edges of the pan.

Pour cake mix into the pan and spread to edges.

Places thinly cut pear slices in a circle around the cake and one of the ends, skin down, in the middle.

Bake at 375F for 40-50 minutes (watch closely after 40 mins).

In the last 10 minutes sprinkle almond slices on top of the cake and return to the oven.

Let cool completely.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

Tips

-A springform pan isn't essential, but I like to be able to remove the edges.

-Cut and arrange pears in whatever way you think looks nice.

-The cake should be crispy on the bottom and edges with a soft center. Look for light brown edges and top to indicate doneness.

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