Upside-down olive oil gingerbread pear cake
Showcasing Peninsula Providore’s mild Nangkita extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), as well as their Lemon EVOO and Chardonnay Vinegar, this warmly-spiced cake makes the perfect winter dessert.
Olive oil is ideal to use in baked treats in place of butter, helping them to stay moist and delicious for longer.
You can make the cake with almond meal for a gluten-free version with a more pudding-like texture, or with whole wheat sprouted flour for a lighter, cakier texture. Both are very good in different ways.
Serve warm with a generous dollop of crème fraiche.
What you’ll need
For the caramel pears
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon Peninsula Providore Lemon EVOO
2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
Pinch of flaked salt
2-3 firm ripe pears, quartered and cored, each quarter sliced into 4 lengthways
1 Tablespoon Peninsula Providore Chardonnay Vinegar
For the cake
2 cups (240g) Taronga Almonds Almond Meal OR 1⅔ cups (210g) Pinnaroo Farms or Laucke Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour*
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (100g/125ml) Nangkita EVOO
3 Tablespoons (60g) molasses
4 Tablespoons (60g) golden syrup
⅓ cup (50g) coconut sugar
½ cup (120g) Fleurieu Milk Company plain full fat Greek yoghurt
3 Tablespoons (20g) grated fresh ginger
2 extra-large Feather & PECK pasture-raised eggs
2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk – only if using sprouted whole wheat flour
What to do
Preheat your oven to 170°C (not fan). Brush a 23cm nonstick round springform pan with a little olive oil. Cut a square of baking paper 3cm larger than the base of your pan, place over the base and clip on the sides of the pan. This gives you a firm seal to prevent caramel leaking.
Start by making the caramel pears (yum!). Over medium heat, melt butter and lemon olive oil in a nonstick frying pan about the same size as your cake pan and large enough to hold pear slices in a single layer (depending on their size, you may need two or three pears). Evenly sprinkle over sugar and a pinch of flaky salt. Cook for a couple of minutes, without stirring. Add pear slices and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden, slightly softened, and they smell delicious. Add vinegar and cook for another minute. Set aside while you make the cake.
Place almond meal OR flour in a large mixing bowl. Sift in baking powder and bicarb, then add the salt and ground spices. Whisk well to combine.
In a separate large bowl, use electric mixers to beat the EVOO and all the remaining ingredients until creamy – about 3 minutes.
Add wet ingredients to the dry mix; use a large metal spoon to gently combine.
Arrange caramelised pear slices decoratively over base of your cake pan and drizzle over the caramel. Spoon cake batter over pears and smooth with a spatula.
Place pan on a baking tray to catch any drips; cook for 35-45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. The whole wheat flour version will cook more quickly than the almond meal version.
Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before carefully turning out onto a serving platter.
Store leftover cake in an airtight container and enjoy within a couple of days.
*Pinnaroo Farms Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour is available from the Willunga General Store (just a few packets left – be quick!).
*Laucke Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour is available exclusively from Woolworths supermarkets.