Pear & Ginger Cake

Having recently made a lovely apple cake loosely based on an English Victorian recipe I thought I would adapt it using pears and ginger.

Ingredients

• 4 pears (Conference are good) – peeled & cored and cut into rough 2.5cm chunks
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 230g of plain flour
• ½ tablespoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 125ml of sunflower oil
• 200g granulated sugar
• 2-3 drops of vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Method

• Pre-heat oven to GM4 – 180°C.
• Use a 22cm loose bottom tin with a cake liner – (like a huge bun case).
• Mix the pears, ginger and sugar in a small bowl.
• Leave whilst you prepare the cake mixture.
  *
• In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In another bowl whisk the oil, sugar, vanilla extract and the eggs until they are thoroughly mixed.
• Add the flour mixture to the oil mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Place half the cake batter into the cooking tin.
• Place half the pear mixture and juices on top of the cake batter.
• Cover with the rest of the cake batter.
• Place the rest of the pear mixture evenly over the surface of the cake.
• Bake for 60 – 65 minutes – cover and maybe another another 10 minutes if not done.
• Leave to cool in the tin before turning it out.

Served on Burleigh Ware, Burgess & Leigh Ltd, Blue Mist, stoneware tea plates from the 1930s.

Variation

Having made this, I thought about the French dessert Poire belle Hélène, which has a chocolate sauce poured over poached pears.

I made the cake again and when it was cool, I drizzled a chocolate sauce made from 40g of melted dark chocolate and 20g of butter over it.

Tea plates by Midwinter – Queensbury from the 1970s.