Medium
10–12
By Tessa Kiros
Published 2010
This is rich and delicious and you can use just about any fruit you like. Serve it in a bowl with a bit of warm custard or a dollop of thick cream — or the way I like it, which is completely on its own. You can use buttermilk instead of the cream or just milk. Leave out the spices if you like something plainer, or add
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla, lemon rind, cardamom and nutmeg and then add the eggs one by one, beating well after each one. Add the sifted flour and baking powder alternately with the cream and mix until you have a smooth batter.
Scrape out every drop into the cake tin. You don’t need to be particular about levelling the surface because it will spread evenly during the baking. Bake for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel, quarter and core the pears. Take the cake from the oven and quickly scatter the pears over the top. Sprinkle with the
Cool slightly before cutting and serving warm or at room temperature. Keep the cake covered tightly with foil, so that it doesn’t harden and you can then warm it through to serve.
© 2010 All rights reserved. Published by Murdoch Books.