My best friend and I had a conversation about favorite foods and what order they would go on a list of 1-10, # 1 being the favorite. Well, as it turns out, chocolate was #1 for both of us! That was my tricky and covert way to figure out what flavor to make her birthday cake, hehe!
I decided to combine the wonderful flavors of chocolate and fresh pears in a simple to make, in less than 30 minute cake.
Favorite Chocolate Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 c unbleached (organic) flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 c sugar
- 1 cup of boiled water
- 2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate (there are dairy-free brands at better stores)
- 3 tbsp dairy-free butter/butter substitute
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 beaten organic free range eggs
- 2 ripe Bartlett Pears, peeled, cored, and cut in slivers
Directions
preheat oven to 350°
- Use shortening and flour to dust the mini-springform pans and line a cupcake tin with muffin paper. This is for any additional leftover batter. (I had enough batter for 4 cupcakes as well)
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the first four ingredients and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with the boiled water, stirring a few minutes until sugar dissolves. Add in the chocolate and dairy-free butter , gently stirring until melted altogether. Allow to cool and add in the vanilla. Place aside.
- Whisk the eggs into the cooled off chocolate mixture until all the ingredients are combined. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients with a spoon, then mix at medium speed until smooth. Place the batter into the pans about 2/3 full adding the pears on top, they will sink down. Use any additional batter for cupcakes, adding in bits of pears cut into small pieces.
- Bake the cupcakes for 10-12 minutes, but leave in the cakes for a total of 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then release them and place them on racks.
Easy Chocolate Frosting
- 3 tbsp dairy free cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp dairy-free butter
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups of powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Blend the above ingredients with a spoon until combined. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth, if it seems dry, add a little more almond milk.
