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- Makes 1 loaf
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This is your favorite gingerbread with a surprise in the center—whole spiced poached pears! The absorbent fruits are soaked in a hot bath of apple cider, red wine, cinnamon, and cloves to infuse them with all the best holiday flavors. Homemade Aquafaba Whipped Cream creates a silky smooth topping that perfectly complements the sweet cake. Sprinkle everything with a little extra cinnamon and voilà, you have a restaurant-quality dessert for your winter feast!
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider or juice
- 1 cup red wine or apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 4 small fresh Bartlett pears (5 to 6 oz. each), peeled with stems left intact
- ⅓ cup blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1¼ cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons regular or sodium-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 recipe Aquafaba Whipped Cream
Instructions
- In a large saucepan combine the first four ingredients (through cloves) and 1 cup water. Add pears. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until pears are nearly tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a paper-towel-lined plate. Let cool and blot away any excess moisture.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or use a silicone loaf pan. In a small bowl stir together molasses, applesauce, flaxseed meal, and ⅔ cup water. Let rest 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine the next eight ingredients (through cloves). Add molasses mixture to flour mixture and stir just until moistened.
- Place pears, stem ends up, evenly distributed down center of loaf pan. Carefully spoon gingerbread batter around pears, keeping pears in center of pan.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in loaf comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove loaf from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
- Cut loaf so each piece will have a slice of pear. If desired, serve with Aquafaba Whipped Cream and sprinkle with additional ground cinnamon.
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Comments (4)
(4 from 2 votes)Guess I should add, if I substitute the dates I will put those ingredients in the blender or food processor to smooth it out, not planning on putting whole chunks of date in the recipe, although I guess that could be interesting too LOL! Date paste would work very well for those who bother to make it. Maybe 1/3 cup date paste and two tablespoons of molasses would be about right.
I also don't like the use of cane sugar in these recipes. If I try it, I will substitute a few pitted dates and reduce the amount of molasses.
Pure cane sugar? Any substitute that will work?
What are the calories and protein