Apple and pears chocolate cake – dairy & egg free

Seasonal fruit like apples and pears are a perfect match with chocolate 😉 These mini cakes have a lightly sweet crumble crust with a warm creamy and fruity filling. Perfect for a cold day treat! The kids really (really!) liked the crust, crisp like a cookie. My favorite part was the filling, soft and delicate.

I wanted to have some fun with the shapes and I divided the dough in mini cakes (the ramekins were perfect for this recipe) so that everybody could have his/her own dessert 😉

Of course if apples and pears are not in season you can switch with peaches, plums, berries, apricots.

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Apple and pears chocolate cake – dairy & egg free

Ingredients

CRUST

• 5.5 oz. all purpose flour 150gr.
• 6.5 oz. whole wheat flour 180gr.
• 0.7 oz. unsweetened cocoa powder 20gr.
• 5.3 oz. cane sugar 150gr.
• 3.7 oz. coconut oil 100gr.
• 6 Tbsp water 90ml.
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt

FILLING

• 2 Tbsp apple sauce
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice mix
• 1 apple 100gr.
• 1 pear 350gr.
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp cane sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest

Instructions

1. For the dough. Sift the flour in a medium bowl
   
2. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix and set apart
   
3. In another medium bowl add the sugar, the water, the coconut oil, the vanilla paste and the cocoa powder. Whisk everything.
   
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Keep whisking. In few minutes you will obtain a nice smooth dough.
   
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap it in some plastic paper. Refrigerate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
   
6. 
7. Prepare the filling. Peel, slice and cut in small pieces both the apple and the pear.
   
8. In a medium pan add the water, the sugar and the lemon zest.
   
9. Turn the heat on at low, stir and let the sugar caramelize slowly.
   
10. When the sugary mix will start getting creamy and golden color it will be time to add the other ingredients: butter, fruit, spices, vanilla and apple sauce. Be careful not to overcook the sugar or it will burn aka it will turn dark brown and will taste like burned sugar 😉
    
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12. Stir all the ingredients and let it cook still at low heat for 6 minutes.
13. Turn off the heat an let it cool down.
    
14. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it from the plastic paper and using some parchment paper and a rolling pin roll a thin layer 1/4 inch.
    
15. Using a ramekin (or the baking container you will choose) cut out a circle that you will place at the bottom of the container. Cut some strips of dough that you will use to cover the sides of the ramekin.
    
16. 
17. Fill the ramekin with 2/3 tablespoons of fruit mix
    
18. With your fingers gently close the sides of the cake toward the center
    
19. Cut out a star (or any shape you like) from the dough
20. Place the star in the center of the filling.
    
21. Using the "water bath" technique place all ramekins in a deep baking pan and half fill the pan with water. Bake the mini cakes in the preheated oven at 180C/400F for 35 minutes. Enjoy!
    
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