This recipe is a delicious, creative + flavor profile exploration built on Diva Alter’s Irresistible Buckwheat Cake from her first cookbook What To Eat For How You Feel (I recommend buying the book if you haven’t yet!). I shared the recipe with Divya and she loved it so much she shared in on her blog and so I am sharing it here with you too. This is a great example of how recipes evolve, how a good basic structure for a recipe can go in multiple directions, and how inspiration continues to flow though us all as cooks, and bakers, whether home or professional, we all add to the pot of delicious recipes and good feelings generated by making, baking and sharing beautiful food, stories and memories.
This recipe explores baking with olive oil, making your very own gluten-free flour from buckwheat groats, and using whole food sweeteners in creative ways to yield a flavorful, moist, and satisfying cake! Fresh pears, Chinese Five Spice (fennel, cinnamon, star anise, Szechuan pepper and clove), fresh ginger and orange zest aid in digestion. The ingredients celebrate the colder seasons Fall, Winter and Early Spring! Enjoy!
Pear Upside Down Five Spice Cake (V, GF)
Recipe by Natural Chef Jennifer Caroff @foodsoulutions
Adapted from Divya Alter’s “Irresistible Buckwheat Cake” in What To Eat For How You Feel
Ingredients
Dry
1 (shy) cup whole buckwheat groats
½ cup coconut palm sugar or sucanat
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon Chinese Five Spice
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ tsp Soma Salt or sea salt
Wet
½ cup high-quality olive oil
½ cup dates, finely chopped
⅓ cup grated apple
½ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Zest from one orange, divided
Upside Down Topping
3-4 firm ripe pears
Drizzle of maple syrup
Splash of vanilla
5-7 whole star anise pods (optional)
Procedure
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9” round or square (parchment-lined) baking pan with olive oil and set aside.
Place a shy cup of whole buckwheat groats in a dry, high-speed upright blender and blend in high for about 20 seconds until a flour forms. Check the consistency of the buckwheat flour between your fingers, if it feels slightly grainy, blend on high for a few more seconds to achieve a nice smooth even texture. Measure out one full cup of the buckwheat flour to use in the cake.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the fresh buckwheat flour with the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside.
In a small blender combine the wet ingredients, using zest from only ½ of the orange, and blend until smooth.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir until well combined. Set aside.
To prepare the pears, quarter, decore, and peel them, taking the time necessary to handle them gently. Slice them into visually pleasing slices, about ¼” thick. Set aside
To prepare the cake, drizzle a small amount of maple syrup and splash of vanilla extract into the base of the oiled baking pan. Zest the remaining ½ of the orange directly over the light coating of olive oil, maple syrup and vanilla.
Arrange the star anise pods (if using) and pear slices in any design you wish so that the entire base of the pan is covered with the pears.
Use a spatula to evenly spread the cake batter over the pears. Bake for 25-27 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 20-25 minutes before flipping the cake.
To flip the cake, first use a knife to circle around the edges of the pan. Then place your desired serving plate face down over the cake pan and turn the cake rightside up onto the serving plate, (gently peel off the parchment paper if you’ve used it). Slice and serve as desired. Store at room temperature for one day, or refrigerate for up to three days.
