Spiced Pear & Walnut Cake w White Chocolate Frosting

A comforting & sophisticated autumnal cake for overcast, cloudy days. This cake reminds me of the best – deeply spiced – baked goods my grandmother made for my brother and I growing up. Delivered to us by cake tin whenever we dropped round, you could always smell the aromatic contents (apple cinnamon muffins, white chocolate iced shortbread...) from a meter away.

This cake will make your house smell equally as warm, scrumptious and full of love. The white chocolate frosting is the most delicately decadent experience and I know you'll love this *more than the sum of its parts* cake – just as much as I.

One word of wisdom: Grate or chop the pear super small, so it doesn't sink to the bottom of the delicate gluten-free batter.

INGREDIENTS

Dry

• 90g walnuts
• 140g bobs 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (I make my own)
• 85g brown rice flour
• 65g brown sugar
• 50g castor sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt

Wet

• 180ml (3/4 cup) plain dairy-free milk (with few added gums)
• 120g plain or vanilla dairy-free yoghurt (I used COYO vanilla)
• 100g light-flavoured vegetable oil OR vegan butter, melted (or a mixture of both)
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla

Additions

• 1 pear, cored & grated/very finely chopped

Frosting

• 85g dairy-free butter (I used Nuttelex Buttery)
• 90g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• 60g dairy-free white chocolate, melted (needs to be a white chocolate that melts smooth - like Plamil So Free or Moo Free)
• 70g (1/4 cup) vegan whipping cream, at room temperature (I used Flora Plant Cream, available at Coles)

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 160C/320F. Grease & line a 21cm/8-inch (or similar) cake tin.
2. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan (watching them like a hawk), tossing them occasionally and taking them off the heat when they start to take on a bit of colour, but aren't burnt (may take 5-10 minutes). Refrigerate the nuts for 10 minutes to cool. Blitz in a food processor until they resemble coarse fine sand.
3. Add all the Dry ingredients to a large bowl (including the blitzed walnuts) and whisk to combine. Press out any lumps with the back of a spatula. Make a well in the centre and add all the Wet ingredients. Whisk gently from the centre outwards until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Don't over mix. The batter will be thick. Gently fold through the grated/chopped pear.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth over the top & bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, it displays a little bounce when pressed and is starting to come away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Once the cake's cool, make the frosting by beating the butter, sugar, vanilla & salt together in a large bowl with electric beaters until pale and creamy (approx. 2 mins). Add the melted white chocolate and beat on low to incorporate (30 seconds max). Add the whipping cream and beat on low until incorporated and fluffy, like clouds (30 seconds max). Don't over beat, as it will become stiff (like butter).
6. Ice the cooled cake & decorate with chopped walnuts, liquid sweetener and chopped pear, if desired. Best eaten at room temperature. The icing will harden in the fridge, and soften again within 15 minutes at room temperature (just something to keep in mind when serving).