Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Candied Pecan and Pear Cake

Welcome to The Crafty Runner! This blog is about my passion for running, cooking, and all things crafty. I got into blogging through wedding blogs, but it wasn't long before I was reading other blogs, too. I rely on cooking blogs for off-beat recipes and I have learned a lot of tips from running blogs. I decided I wanted to contribute my two cents in the hopes that someone might learn something from me, too. When I added my passions together, The Crafty Runner was born. I hope you add your own comments, tips, and experiences as I write about and explore my favorite hobbies. Thanks for reading!


Candied Pecan and Pear Cake

I recently celebrated a friend's birthday and made this cake for him. He is on a limited diet and cannot have a lot of the typical cake ingredients. This to me is the ultimate challenge. I enjoy cooking with a limited number of ingredients or other specifications. It makes me step out of the box and think more creatively. I put together the list of foods I could use and went to work. It took a couple tries, but eventually I got this cake. It turns out to be a yummy, nutty alternative to the typical birthday cake. Plus it's a tiny bit healthier.

2 cups brown rice flour
1 scant cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4- 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 tablespoons honey
1 pear, diced
1 cup dried cranberries
1.5 cups candied pecans (see Cafe Johnsonia's recipe, I replaced the butter with oil)
parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x9 cake pan with parchment paper. I cut out a big square of parchment and then cut slits at each corner so that it would conform to the inside of the pan. (If you are not using rice flour, don't worry about it, you can just grease the pan)

Combine the first 9 ingredients (flour through honey) and stir until just mixed. Add water a little at a time and stir until the batter has the consistency of pancake batter. Add the pear, cranberries, and half the nuts. Mix thoroughly.

Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake sit for 10 minutes in the pan before flipping it onto a serving plate. Cover the top with the remaining candied pecans. When ever I can, I will include nutritional information for my recipes at the bottom of the entry. I strongly believe in knowing what you put into yourself.


Serving Size: 1/16th of the cake
264 C, 11g Fat, 25g Sugar, 2g Dietary Fiber, 3g Protein

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