Pear and Ginger Cake

In the latest of a series of cookbooks inspired by her grandma Dulcie May Booker, Natalie Oldfield's Love and Food at Gran's Table shares the recipes of over 60 grandmothers from around the world alongside those of her own, like this comforting cake.

INGREDIENTS

4 pears
½ cup wholemeal self-raising flour
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground ginger
185 grams butter, melted
½ cup water
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Topping
60 grams butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Gran was always baking a cake of some sort but one of my favourites was this pear and ginger cake that I shared with her in her later years. She loved to try new flavours, and there is nothing better than a slice of cake still warm from the oven served with cream for afternoon tea. Simply stunning.

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 cm (9 inch) cake tin and set aside.

Cake
Peel and slice 3 pears. Place wholemeal flour in a large bowl. Sift in self-raising flour, sugar and ground spices.

In a separate bowl, mix together butter, water, grated ginger and eggs. Pour liquid mixture into the dry mix and fold together, lastly folding in pears. Pour into tin.

Decorate top of cake with remaining pear, peeled and thinly sliced.

Topping
Melt butter and mix in dry ingredients. Pour over cake mixture. Bake for 1–1½ hours.

Serve warm with whipped cream. Makes 1 cake.