ALMOND, PISTACHIO AND PEAR UPSIDE DOWN TORTE

I am very excited to be sharing this recipe with you all as it’s gone down a treat here in my home. I wanted to make a moist nut torte and also wanted to add a fruit which would add to the moisture and chose pear. I serve the torte with a lightly whipped coconut cream flavoured with vanilla. All in all I think this is a perfect dessert for Christmas. Maybe not the most traditional where I am from but spiced with cardamom and ginger it offers a wintery Christmas taste.

This recipe is completely grain free and the only flour used is buckwheat whilst the rest of the dry ingredients are solely gathered from nuts and seeds. Therefore it is suitable for many diets including paleo and has quite a high protein content. The chia seeds and flax seeds used for binding offer omega 3 fatty acids which have a positive impact on heart and brain as well as various other areas. Read more about omega fatty acids and their function and benefits here.

For the fruity layer of this recipe I use conference pears which is the most common in most of Europe and readily available during the winter months due to the possibility of preserving them in a cold room to prevent them from decaying. Now, this might seem odd but I don’t know what’s better; buying a fruit that’s been picked and stored in a cold storage or one that has been flown halfway across the world. I think I prefer the first option in this case. I’m sure other pears would work just as well but choose a firm not over ripe fruit as it softens and releases it’s sweet juices when baked.

This cake is good as is I think but I have included the option of topping with whipped coconut cream which is really a tasty and decadent serving possibility without necessarily having a negative impact on your health. It’s a great vegan option to cream made from cow’s milk as it can be whipped quite fluffy if kept in the fridge overnight before whipping. I choose to whip mine lightly though as this is how I prefer it but it will taste just as good with a fluffier cream!

Makes one 22 cm sping form.

Active cooking time 15 min, total cooking time 55 min.

Ingredients:

1 conference pear

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup pistachios, ground

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp flaxseed meal/ground linseed

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/3 cup coconut oil

2/3 cup liquid sweetener such as agave nectar or rice malt syrup

1 heaped tsp ground cardamom

1/2-1 tsp ground ginger depending on potency preference

1/3 cup almond milk

1 small can/160 ml coconut cream or the solid paart of a can of coconut milk

1 vanilla pod

A pinch of coconut sugar or other sweetener (optional)

Place coconut cream or milk in fridge over night.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.

Place flaxseed meal and chia seeds in a cup with 8 tbsp water and leave to gel.

Split pear in half, decore and slice into half moons.

Grease the spring form with coconut oil and shake some almond meal around the edges.

Place pear slices at bottom of the spring form (see photo below).

Mix all remaining dry ingredients as well as spices in a large bowl.

Mix liquid sweetener and soft or melted coconut oil and add to dry mixture.

Mix and when combined mix in almond milk as well as gelled chia seeds and flaxseed meal.

Spread batter over pears in the form.

Bake for roughly 40 min or until slightly golden on top and a knife comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

Place coconut cream in mixing bowl along with a pinch of coconut sugar and the scraped out vanilla from the vanilla pod – whisk until required thickness.

Let cake cool a little and then remove sides and flip onto a serving dish, top with crushed and whole pistachios.

Enjoy in good company!