Chai-Spiced Pear Cake (with a Hibiscus Raspberry Variation)
A tender, grain-free almond and coconut flour cake made with a strong, homemade rooibos chai of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper, and topped with fanned slices of ripe pear brushed with maple and cinnamon. Warm, cozy, and naturally caffeine-free, it's the fall and winter companion to my Chamomile Cake with Berries. In summer, make it with hibiscus and raspberries instead.
Yield: One 9-inch cake, serves 10–12 · Active: 25 min · Total: 1 hr 30 min, plus cooling · Best in North America from late summer through winter, during pear season · Best eaten: afternoon
Ingredients
Homemade rooibos chai
1¼ cups water
2 rooibos tea bags (or 2 tbsp loose rooibos)
2 cinnamon sticks
6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4 whole cloves
1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
6 black peppercorns
Cake
1 cup blanched almond flour
¾ cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cloves
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
8 pasture-raised eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plain whole-milk goat's or sheep's milk yogurt
1 cup strong homemade chai, cooled
½–⅔ cup maple syrup or raw honey, to taste
⅓ cup grass-fed butter, melted (or a mild extra virgin olive oil)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pear topping
2 ripe but firm pears (like Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett), cored and thinly sliced
1 tbsp maple syrup, mixed with 1 tbsp melted butter and ½ tsp cinnamon
To serve (optional)
Maple-cinnamon whipped cream: 1 cup cold raw or grass-fed cream, whipped with 1 tbsp maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon
Toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped
A drizzle of maple syrup
Method
Brew the chai. Bring the water, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and peppercorns to a boil, then simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes. Take it off the heat, add the rooibos, and steep 10 minutes more. Strain, and let it cool. You want 1 cup of strong chai.
Prep. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment, and grease the sides with butter.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt, breaking up any lumps.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, cooled chai, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine and rest. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until smooth, then let the batter rest 5 minutes, so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid. It should be thick but spreadable. If it's too stiff, stir in a splash more chai or yogurt.
Top with pears. Spread the batter in the pan. Arrange the pear slices on top in overlapping circles, and brush them with the maple-butter-cinnamon mixture.
Bake 45–55 minutes, until deep golden, the center springs back when pressed, and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.
Cool at least 20 minutes before releasing the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature, with maple-cinnamon whipped cream, toasted pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Classic black tea chai: For the traditional flavor, use black tea in place of the rooibos. It will contain caffeine, so enjoy it earlier in the day.
Storage: Refrigerated up to 4 days, or frozen, in wrapped slices, up to 2 months. Warm slices gently in a low oven before serving.
A note on honey: Baked honey is no longer raw. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Variation: Hibiscus Raspberry Cake
Best in North America in summer, when raspberries peak
A tart, ruby-red tea and raspberries make a bright summer version of this cake.
Make these changes:
The tea: Instead of the chai, steep 3 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers (or 4 hibiscus tea bags) in 1¼ cups boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain and cool.
The spices: Leave out the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. Add the zest of 1 lemon, and, if you like, ½ tsp ground cardamom or 1 tsp food-grade rose water.
The fat: Use a mild extra virgin olive oil, rather than butter, for a lighter summer cake.
The topping: Instead of the pears, scatter 1½ cups fresh raspberries over the batter.
To serve: Whipped cream or yogurt, a few fresh raspberries, and dried rose petals.
About the color: Hibiscus gets its ruby color from anthocyanins, which change color depending on how acidic they are. The baking soda in the batter makes it less acidic, so the cake bakes up a soft mauve, not bright pink. The raspberries on top bring the vivid color.
A note on hibiscus: Hibiscus may lower blood pressure, so if you're pregnant, take blood pressure medication, or have low blood pressure, talk with your practitioner before enjoying it regularly.
Nourishment Notes
Rooibos — a caffeine-free South African red bush tea, naturally sweet, with polyphenols like aspalathin and quercetin.
Chai spices — cinnamon helps moderate blood sugar, ginger and cardamom are traditionally used to support digestion, and black pepper's piperine and cloves bring warmth. Together, these spices are the heart of Ayurvedic chai, traditionally enjoyed to warm the body in cooler months.
Pears — fiber (including pectin), vitamin C, and copper.
Hibiscus (variation) — anthocyanins and vitamin C, with a tart, cranberry-like flavor.
Raspberries (variation) — one of the highest-fiber fruits, plus vitamin C and ellagic acid.
Almond flour — vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats.
Coconut flour — fiber, which helps slow the absorption of the cake's natural sugars.
Pasture-raised eggs — complete protein, choline, and vitamins A, D, E, and K2.
Goat's or sheep's milk yogurt — protein, calcium, and mostly A2-type casein.
Grass-fed butter — vitamins A and K2, CLA, and butyrate.
For your cycle: The chai version's warming spices make it especially comforting in the luteal and menstrual phases, when many women crave warmth and sweetness, and ginger is well studied for easing cramps. The bright hibiscus raspberry version is lovely in the follicular and ovulatory phases.
Sourcing
Rooibos and hibiscus — organic, loose-leaf, from Mountain Rose Herbs or Frontier Co-op
Whole spices (cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns) and ground spices — organic and non-irradiated (Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka)
Fresh ginger and lemons — organic
Almond flour and coconut flour — organic and finely ground (keep the almond flour in the fridge)
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised, from a local farm or Alexandre Family Farm
Yogurt — Sierra Nevada goat's milk yogurt, Bellwether Farms sheep's milk yogurt, or raw yogurt from a farmer you know and trust
Pears — organic, from a local orchard or farmers' market in fall
Raspberries — organic, from a farmers' market in summer
Grass-fed butter and cream — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows; raw or organic, grass-fed cream
Maple syrup and raw honey — organic Grade A dark maple syrup; organic, local, unfiltered raw honey
Rose water and rose petals (optional) — food-grade and organic
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass (a mild, fruity oil is best for baking)
Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract
Baking soda — aluminum-free
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall