Three Layer Cake

Pear Tea Cake 

I take desserts to work occasionally for my colleagues.  That way I satisfy my desire to bake, but it doesn’t stay around at home.  Sometimes my husband levies a tax on all ‘exported’ cakes and cookies, retaining as much as one-.  At first I was embarrassed to bring a cake to work with a slice out of it, but everyone said the important thing was that I let them eat cake…
 

Someone put in a special request a few weeks ago:  A low calorie, non-fat cake.  “What’s the point?”  we all asked.  She said she wanted something with all-natural ingredients.  I assured her that everything I make is with all natural ingredients, since they don’t sell preservatives at my supermarket.  She said that I should use olive oil instead of butter (same amount of fat, I said, not as good).  She said that I should use yogurt instead of milk (same amount of fat, I said).  She said I should add lots and lots of raisins and oatmeal and nuts and fruit puree (more fat and calories, I said).  She assured me that I could make a wonderfully all-natural cake with whole wheat flour, eggs, no sugar, and all those ingredients.  When she said cake, I imagined something soft and moist.

 
So I went home and tried to make her a low-fat healthy cake that would fit her description.  I failed entirely.  This is a nice moist tea cake which keeps well, but might not stay around too long.  It’s not too sweet, for its low granulated sugar content, but it’s sweet enough.  Unfortunately, coconut milk is as fat and ‘cholesterolic’ as butter, which is also absent in this recipe.  Nonetheless, it’s good.

Pear Tea Cake

• 1 Bartlett pear (1/2 cup pear puree)
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 3 eggs
• 100g ground almonds
• 200g flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift baking powder with flour.  Grind almonds and sugar together and set aside.  Puree pear with coconut milk, then add all remaining ingredients and mix until combined, adding eggs one at a time.  Pour batter into an 8 x 3 pan.  Bake at 375F/190C until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.  Don’t worry too much if it doesn’t become golden brown on top. 

Note:  This cake will probably come out much better if mixed with a mixer instead of a food processor, and I suppose you could substitute whatever fruit and nuts you wanted, like apples, which are  in season now, and walnuts or hazelnuts