This is the cake I made for Neal’s birthday this year. With different sweetness and texture, marzipan icing on top and rich creamy dulce de leche in the middle, it was a cake of different flavours and textures, and it was a little healthier than most deserts.

½ cup unbleached, all purpose flour

¼ cup oat bran

2 tbsp hemp seeds

2 tbsp ground almonds

2 tbsp no salt baking powder

mix these in a bowl, add these dry spices, to taste, based on the potency of the spices you have

cinnamon, cloves, fresh grated nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, (if using ginger powder)

in another bowl mix

½ cup sourdough starter

2 eggs,

whisk these two together for 1 minute then stir in

½ cup raw cane sugar

1 cup apple pear sauce

then gradually add, a little at a time, ½ a cup melted, almost browned, butter.

Let sit for 2 hours

then mix in the dry ingredients, adding the dry to the wet a little at a time stirring it in

add 1/3 of a cup chopped dried plums, crystalized ginger mixed in if using add 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 in round, parchment lined pans.

Put the two cakes together when cool with dulce de leche in the middle

and marzipan rolled thin into a circle on top.

This cake is sensational with all its textures and flavours bursting in every bite

Its also a lot healthier than most other cakes, very low sodium, less sugar, and high in fiber.