Like most households, I suspect, we occasionally have fruit which has been languishing in the fruit bowl for a few too many days, turning a little too soft and gradually spoiling, being passed over for those fresher, shinier more inviting pieces.
Having a couple of pears in this sorry state just last week, it was the perfect excuse to don my pinny and gather the flour and sugar from the cupboard.
It would have been such a shame to dispose of those pears in the food-waste caddy just because they were a little too soft with the skin starting to brown a little. After peeling and coring the pears, it was evident that the fruit was still very much edible. The juicy fruit was diced and the pieces made their way into our Pear, Chocolate and Spice Cake.
As pears work so well with cardamom, ginger and dark chocolate those delicious flavours, perfect for autumn baking, made their way into our pear cake recipe. The slightly spoilt fresh pears were peeled, cored and chopped before being added to the Victoria Sponge batter which had been flavoured with the spices and chocolate! The top of the cake batter was simply finished with even more pears which had been sliced, and once baked was simply glazed with apricot jam and a drizzle of chocolate ganache, which, in our opinion, removed the temptation to finish the cake with a sugar ladened frosting.
Happily the cake, once sliced into, was beautifully studded with the diced pear. A little extra flour in the batter had prevented the fruit from sinking to the bottom of our seasonal cake. The fruit helped to make the bake deliciously moist and brought added texture to the eat. You may have noticed that the centre of the cake cracked a little, caused probably by the addition of the extra flour, and no doubt would have received a frown had Mary seen it, but when a cake tastes as good as this such flaws can surely be overlooked.
Now, as November is World Vegan Month, I have to admit that the intention was to attempt our first ever vegan cake with this pear cake recipe. No butter. No milk. No cream. No eggs. However, my chosen egg replacer, chia seeds, proved to be difficult, near impossible, to grind with a pestle & mortar (not being in possession of a spice or coffee grinder) and so after an hour of pounding those pesky little seeds I cracked and added eggs to the mixture instead!
Time permitting, I'm aiming to revisit the vegan bake idea later in the month, but for the time being here's our Pear, Chocolate and Spice Cake, perfect for autumn baking.
Let's get to it and bake this seasonal Pear, Chocolate and Spice Cake.
sweet & nutritious pears, this delicious recipe for pear cake is
perfect for the chillier autumn months. Finished with sliced pears, a glaze of apricot jam and a little chocolate ganache
removes the temptation to laden it with a sugary frosting.
Prep time: about 35 mins Cook time: 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minsYield: 1 x 21cm cake - producing appox 10 slices
Specific Equipment
1 x 21cm deep loose bottom springform cake tin
For the Batter
- 190g Butter (unsalted, softened) / Margarine + extra for preparing the cake tin
- 95g Caster Sugar
- 95g Golden Caster Sugar
- 2 Cardamom pods, seeds within ground
- ¾ tsp Ground Ginger
- Pinch Salt
- 3 Eggs, very Large
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 160g SR Flour
- 40g Cocoa Powder + extra for preparing the cake tin
- 1.5 x 230g tin (drained weight) Pears Halves (or equivalent fresh, peeled & cored)
To Glaze
- 1 tbsp Apricot Jam (ideally smooth)
For the Chocolate Drizzle
- 40ml Double Cream
- 40g Milk or Dark Chocolate
Notes:
a) Use either fresh pears, tinned or a mixture of both. Our cake was made with a mixture - the overripe pears were chopped and placed in the batter, whilst the tinned were sliced and arranged on top of the cake. b) Avoid letting the ganache cool too much as it will thicken and become difficult to drizzle. If it does become a little too thick, warm it up in a bain marie (bowl suspended over a pan of water).
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Choclette Blogger
This looks gorgeous Angela. Pear and chocolate is such a good combination and with the spices too - yum yum. You've made it look so lovely too and I couldn't spot any cracking. January is veganuary, so plenty of time to try a vegan cake then. I tried using "egg replacer", both chia seed and linseed, but find my vegan cakes are actually better without them. Thanks for sharing with We Should Cocoa.
I’m running a bit behind this month due to my advent calendar, but the round-up and new linky should be up later today.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thank you Choclette 🙂 Now that's interesting that you don't bother with chia or linseeds for your vegan cakes. I've since had another go, this time with apple sause nd aquafaba as an egg replacer in a carrot cake and although it looked great going into the over, the aquafaba deflated massively during the bake! Fingers crossed I'll manage something vefore Veganuary is out!
You're welcome Choclette, and don't worry about running a little behind - it's a very busy month 🙂
Angela x
Kate Glutenfreealchemist
Lovely! I adore the chocolate-pear combination and the addition of ginger sounds very seasonal and warming x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Kate 🙂 Pear and chocolate is just fab isn't it, and to me the ginger in the cake was slightly more pronounced the following day in a good way,
Thanks for popping by,
Angela x
Sarah James
Pears, ginger & chocolate, a match made in heaven. Your cake looks delicious Angela, I love how you've added cardamom seeds. Looking forward to your vegan cake x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thank you Sarah 🙂 I love cardamom, I just don't seem to use it often enough.
I have my fingers crossed that the vegan idea will work this time! 🙂
Angela x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
I think this cake looks fabulous I've pinned for latter but I might even give it a try soon with some of my many apples from our Suffolk garden I still have to use as I am sure that would work well too.
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thank you Jacqueline. Ooh how lucky to have an apple tree and lods of delicous apples to use up. Yes, I imagine apple would have groegeous in it too, you'll have to let me know how you get on with it 🙂
Angela x
Jo
I hadn't even noticed that crack in the centre as I was too busy drooling over the chocolate drizzled pears! Your cake looks beautiful! I love using sad looking fruit in cakes, mostly because I tell myself it still counts as part of my 5 a day 😀
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, thank you Jo 🙂
Angela x
Mandy
I've had a soft spot for pear and chocolate after a neighbour of mine dropped a pear and chocolate sponge off for me just after I'd had my second baby. This cake takes it to the next level - the spices you've used sound lovely and I fully approve of using up fruit on the turn in the fruit bowl!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Awe, what a lovely gesture your neighbour made when your second baby arrived Mandy, I imagine it was very well received. It's such a shame to see fruit go to waste isn't it, when they can easily be used in a bake.
Angela x
Jenny
i love how you have made use of some writing pears, I am often doing this with fruit especially bananas! The flavours you have used sound so comforting and warming, and must complement the pears superbly. I also think it looks so delicious and love the year pieces inside the sponge . thank you linking up to #BakeoftheWeek xx
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Haha, I've noticed your love of using slightly spoilt bananas in bakes Jenny 😉 The cake was a dream to eat Jenny, even Mr E - someone who doesn't go out of his way for cake - even went for an extra slice!
Thank you for your lovely comments,
Angela x
Eb Gargano
Oooh this sounds FAB - I love the idea of pairing chocolate, pears and spices and I love how you have decorated it...so pretty! I am yet to try making a vegan cake - I've done quite a few gluten and / or dairy free ones but never egg free. Sounds tricky, though I hear it can be done very successfully. Good luck with your next one 🙂 Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Eb x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thank you Eb 🙂 I must admit I was pretty pleased with the effect of the pears slices to the top of the cake. I had half anticipated the batter to swamp the slices as it cooked, but happily that didn't happen. Yes, I've seen a few vegan cakes over the past few months and they looked absolutely great. Fingers crossed I can get a similar result!!
Angela x