[ess_post]
This cake is the perfect post dinner fireside treat for those cold winter nights. Packed with the familiar warm comforting flavours of ginger and cinnamon, sweet and juicy pears throughout the cake make for succulent surprises, with a naughty little brandy cream sauce to pour over the top.
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1 cup dark muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1¼ cups golden syrup
230 grams butter
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup of milk
2 pears, cored and sliced into 8 segments
Brandy cream
100ml brandy
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
1 cup cream
1 heaped teaspoon cornflour
1 x 26cm spring-form cake tin, lined and greased
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 150°C fan bake.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, muscovado sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Melt the golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the golden syrup mixture to the sifted ingredients, followed by the eggs and milk. Whisk to combine, then pour the batter into the tin.
Arrange the pear segments in a circle on top of the batter. (they may sink during baking)
Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 1 hour before removing from the tin.
Brandy cream: Place the brandy and muscovado sugar in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour in the cream and and whisk in the cornflour. Continue to whisk over a low-medium heat until the sauce thickens to pouring consistency. Serve the cream warm with the cake, or set aside and reheat when required.
