Pomegranate Maple Caramel Cakelettes

 

I cannot get enough of pomegranates lately.  They are going into everything, savory and sweet.  There is just somthing so attractive about the little red jewel like fruits that makes me want to put them in everything. Last week, I got to imagining them in more desserts, and I started to think about pairing them with caramel. 

 

I told my Mother about my idea of pairing pomegranates with caramel and she said it sounded weird and that she never had heard of that before.  I explained that the tart and sweet along with the silky caramel and crunchy pom seeds would be lovely.  She still didn't believe me, but since I do not stop when I think of something I am craving, I went with it.  I thought I could add a little maple, and "bake"some raw maple pomegranate cake in my dehydrator, top them off with the caramel and more fresh seeds.  It sounded delicious, and I was confident it would be.  

 

 

I made the cakes mini, as it is the Holidays, and all things mini are proper right now, but I may as well have made one big one and cut a piece the way I ate them.  The combination was amazing, and the cakes were simply beautiful with the golden caramel and red pomegranate seeds atop the cakes.  I can imagine these being served at a fancy new years party!  Too bad they are are all gone...

Pomegranate Maple Caramel Cakelettes
Makes about 18

cake:
2 cups raw almond meal*
2 cups dried shredded coconut
2 1/2 cups sprouted oat or buckwheat flour (or additional almond meal)
2/3 cup raw agave nectar or honey
2 small organic apples, diced
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 cups pomegranate seeds

Caramel:
20 medjool dates, pitted
2 Tbsp coconut or macadamia butter
1/4 cup raw agave nectar or honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup water

pomegranate seeds for garnish

To make cake, combine almond meal, coconut, and oat flour in the food processor and process until finely ground. Add agave nectar, apples, sea salt and process until very smooth. Place in a bowl and stir in pomegranate seeds.  Place batter on a teflex lined dehydrator* sheet, spread out into a rectangle about 1 inch high and dehydrate for about 12 hours, then flip over (carefully using another flat cutting board or something to assist) and dehydrate another 4 hours or so until firm, but still soft in the middle. Flip back over, cut into 1 1/2 inch squares, and if not dry yet, place the squares back in the dehydrator for another couple hours. 

For the caramel frosting, combine all ingredients in a food processor anf process until very smooth (you may need to let process for a while for all the ingredients to warm up). Press the caramel through a fine meshed strainer to remove any date bits (optional, but makes for a smoother caramel.   Top each cakelette with the frosting. Garnish each with a few pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

*For the almond meal I used soaked, skinned, and dried almonds, finely ground in the food processor. You can use almond pulp if you like, just dry it first.

**If you do not own a dehydrator, you can make these in the oven at the lowest possible temp. Just place on a lined baking sheet, and bake for about 6 hours, then check them as they will take less time.