Pear Cake

This recipe is very quick to make since it can be made almost entirely in a food-processor. It is great to have in your repertoire for when unexpected guests call.

INGREDIENTS
100g icing sugar
150g softened butter
100g plain flour
50g almond meal
3 eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp rosewater or orange water
2 pears
brown sugar for sprinkling after cooking (although any sugar you have to hand will do).

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Now add all of the ingredients with the exception of the pears and additional sugar into a food processor and blitz until the mixture is pale and creamy.
Spoon the mixture into a greased 20cm tin (preferably spring form if you have one).
Peel and quarter pears. Layer gently on top of the mixture and bake for about 45 minutes or until cooked. Sprinkle sugar over after about 20 minutes. If the cake is browning too quickly cover with tin foil.

Chocolate Espresso Cake

 This recipe is one of my favourites and is based on Elizabeth David's recipe in "Mastering the Art of French Provincial Cooking". It uses no flour and is therefore is very good for celiacs and diabetics since, for a cake, it has a comparatively low glycemic load. It is excellent with a cappucino.

100g of bitter chocolate
75g each of butter, caster sugar and ground almonds
3 eggs
1 tablespoon each of rum or brandy and black coffee.

Break the chocolate into small pieces; put them with the rum and coffee to melt in a cool oven. Stir the mixture well, put it with the butter, sugar and ground almonds in a saucepan and stir over a low fire for a few minutes until all the ingredients are blended smoothly together. Off the fire, stir in the well-beaten egg yolks, and then fold in the stiffly-whipped whites. Turn into a lightly-buttered shallow sponge-cake tin of about 20cm diameter, or a tart tin with a removable base of the same size. Stand the tin on a baking sheet and cook in a very low oven,150°C., for about 45 minutes. This cake, owing to the total absence of flour, is rather fragile, so turn it out,when it is coolvery carefully. It can either be served as it is, or covered with lightly whipped and sweetened cream. It is a cake which is equally good for dessert or for tea-time.