Mini Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1/8 cup grated orange zest (2 large oranges)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 ounces buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup good semisweet chocolate chunks

For the syrup:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

For the ganache:

• 4 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 6 individual serving baking molds, such as the flexible non stick 100 percent silicone molds.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the orange zest.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 1 tablespoon flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the molds on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pans, put them on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cakes.

Pear Breakfast Cake

1 lg Ripe but firm pear, about 9 -ounces Freshly ground black pepper -(optional) 2 lg Eggs

3/4 c Sugar

1/2 ts Vanilla

2/3 c Brown rice flour

1/3 c Cornstarch

1/2 ts Baking powder

1 tb Vegetable oil

Powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 10 x 8 x 2-inch ceramic baking dish with butter.
Peel, core and dice the pear.
Spread in baking dish and top with a light grinding of black pepper, if desired.
Beat eggs and sugar until pale in color and very thick.
Add vanilla.
Combine rice flour, cornstarch and baking powder.
Sift over egg mixture and fold in.
Drizzle oil around edge of bowl and fold in.
Spread batter over diced pear.
Bake for 35 minutes.
A pale gold, crackly "sugar bloom" like a very thin layer of pastry will form on top of the cake.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving from the dish, warm or cold. Serves 8.

PER SERVING: 790 calories, 3 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 53 mg cholesterol, 38 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.