Cake...

On the first day back to school this year I had a little celebratory coffee and brunch gathering with a few friends.  I knew I would keep it fairly simple yet wanted to bake a couple sweets to share with the ladies.  I also had the remains of a box of pears (ordered the week prior) that were calling to get used up, so in a search of the internet airwaves I found this recipe for a French Apple Cake that I thought could work well with my quickly ripening pears.  In fact the original recipe has one softening up crisp apples, so substituting nicely ripened soft pears seemed a perfect tweak.  I also wanted to make the recipe dairy free so I used coconut oil and milk in the recipe, and oh was that a winning call.  I had never made this cake before but am always excited to try out a new recipe on friends, though I could not have anticipated the absolute wonder of this cake.  Nearly everyone at the table tried it, even those who typically stay away from sweets and such, and I can honestly say that nothing else I have ever made for anyone has ever gotten quite the response this cake did.  There were seconds and thirds had, and many requests to share the recipe.  That simple rustic little cake in the photos above has caused quite the stir.  So naturally I made it again, I had to see if it was just beginners luck or some sort of fluke after all, for a dinner gathering with friends last weekend and I am happy to say that it wasn't a fluke at all.  This cake is amazing!  It has a slight custard quality to it and is loaded with layer after layer of fruit.  I hope that you try it and enjoy it as much as we have been.