There are a lot of fruity, gingerbread-y, and spicy flavours floating around the internet at the moment, which has probably got something to do with the fact that Christmas is coming up... This recipe does fit into the spice and wintery category, but it's slightly different as it's spiced with cardamon; a seed that is usually seem in Indian cooking. I've paired these pungent seeds with some sweet conference pears - the perfect match.
This cake will have you coming back for more - my Husband was a big fan of this one, which is rare as he's not a cake fan(I know...!)
Ingredients
175g unsalted butter, softened + extra for greasing
2 tsp cardamon pods
175g light brown soft sugar
3 conference pears
1 lemon
2 eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
A handful of flaked almonds
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees/ 160 fan/ gas mark 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin. Butter the insides of the tin and pour in some flour - tip flour around to the edges and then pour out, so the tin is covered with flour inside.
2. In a pestle and mortar, crush the cardamon seeds and discard the pods. Peel and cut the pears lengthways.
3. Melt 25g of the butter in a pan and add 25g of the sugar - heat until bubbling. Add the pears and cook for 5 minutes until soft, turning often. Remove pears but leave the butter in the pan.
4. Pour the melted butter from the pan and into a bowl. Add the cardamon, lemon zest and remaining sugar and butter. Beat until smooth and then gradually add in the eggs. Add the flour and baking powder, folding in carefully until well-combined.
5. Chop half of the pears into small pieces and add into the mix. Stir in. Pour the mix into the tin and smooth the top.
6. Top the cake with the remaining pears and then scatter the almonds. Bake for 50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil halfway through if the cake begins to get too dark.
7. Cool in tin for a few minutes and then on a wire rack. Once cold, dust on some icing sugar to give a nice finish.
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