Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder
Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
Divide mixture between two greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm baking tins)
Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
Once out the oven, transfer cakes from baking tins onto a wired rack to leave them to cool completely before applying the frosting
For the buttercream:
Drain soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender along with all the other ingredients*
Whizz until completely smooth
Taste and adjust flavour accordingly - add more maple syrup for sweetness, more cocoa powder for chocolatey flavour etc
Put the mixture (keeping it in the food processor but you can transfer to a bowl if you wish) into the fridge and leave to harden slightly before using to frost the cake
For the poached pears:
Carefully peel the pears and cut off the bottoms so that they can stand up straight
Place the pears in a pan with the maple syrup and enough water to roughly cover
Bring to the boil and simmer for around 10 minutes, until soft enough to gently pierce with a fork
Once the pears are cooked, remove them from the pan and immediately coat them in the lemon juice to make sure they don't turn brown
Leave pears to cool before using to decorate the cake
For the chocolate sauce:
Place all ingredients in a bowl and melt either over a bain-marie or in the microwave, until mixed together well
Make this sauce just before decorating the cake
Use a skewer or chopstick to use create eyes for the pears with the melted chocolate
To frost and decorate the cake:
Place one half of the cake onto a plate or cake stand, and spread just less than half of the frosting onto it
Place the other half of the cake on top of that and use rest of the frosting to spread on top and around the sides of the cake
Use a fork or spoon to drizzle the chocolate sauce all over the cake
Place the poached pears on top of the cake
Tastes best when fresh but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour**Other frosting options include: