I have tried to make a cake with pear before but it just didn’t work out, it sunk in the middle and wasn’t very appealing to look at. I never posted it, but I still have the pear cake bug, every time I see a pear I want to wrap it something fluffy and sweet.
This weekend I bought three pears with the sole purpose of forcing me to try again. I found this pear cake recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
This recipe spoke to me, caramelised pears? Nothing could be better. These caramelised pears are heaven and some were lost before they even made it to the cake. I couldn’t resist!
Caramelised Pear and Almond Cake
~ slightly adapted from Pear and Almond Pudding Cake
Yield: 1 9 inch cake.
For the caramelised pears:
- 3 pears, peeled, quartered with centres and stalks removed (reasonably firm, but not rock hard)
- 25g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
For the cake:
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, I used large since that’s all I had
- 75g wholemeal self raising flour, I used plain non-self raising flour
- 75g ground almonds
- A good pinch of cinnamon
Preheat oven to 170oC. Prepare a spring-form tin (20cm) with a greaseproof paper bottom. (I don’t own a spring-form tin, but I wish I did, it would have been so much easier to remove the cake).
First caramelise the pears, add the butter to a frying pan under a medium-high heat, as it starts to froth add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved then add the pears. Move them around the pan so they go equally caramelised all over. This should take between 5 and 10 minutes. Once ready leave them to cool.
Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and beat until fluffy. Add an egg at a time, while beating the mixture, with each egg add a tablespoon of flour. Once both eggs have been beaten in, add the remaining flour, sugar, almonds and cinnamon and fold in.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then add the pear quarters on top. Pour the pan juices on top of the cake. Pop in the oven for 40-50 minutes (mine took around 45 minutes) until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the tin to stand for a few minutes and then realease. If like me you don’t have a spring-form tin then getting the cake from the tin will be difficult, loosen the edges flip on to a plate and then back on to a cooling rack.
Leave to cool for another 5 minutes, either eat warm or leave longer and eat cold. I’ve tried it both ways and it’s really good, although I have to say I prefer it warm so a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream will start to go all melty.
