Pear & Ginger Cake
8-10
servings20
minutes40
minutesGrating the pears helps them blend nicely into the batter, infusing every bite with natural sweetness.
The fruit and almonds create a dense and incredibly moist cake with a rich, nutty crumb. Topped with slices of pear and crunchy Demerara sugar, it’s simple but delicious — perfect with a spoonful of yoghurt or a cup of tea or coffee.
Ingredients
3 small 3 ripe pears, grated (about 1 heaped cup)
1 tbsp 1 freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger for a milder flavour)
160 g 160 butter, softened
3/4 cup 3/4 caster sugar
2 large 2 eggs
1 cup 1 Greek yoghurt
100 g 100 plain flour
100 g 100 ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp 1 1/2 baking powder
1/2 tsp 1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp 1/2 salt
1 tsp 1 ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp 1/2 ground nutmeg
4 small 4 pear halves, thinly sliced (for the top)
2 tbsp 2 Demerara sugar
Greek yoghurt for serving (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line the base of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper and generously grease the sides.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the yoghurt until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Stir through the grated pear and ginger — the mixture may look slightly separated at this point, but that’s fine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Arrange the pear slices over the surface, gently pressing them into the batter. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar for a golden, crunchy finish.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the final 10–15 minutes.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt, if you like.