Thursday, August 14, 2008

Pear and Walnut Cake

Pears are certainly one of the more plentiful fruits of winter and for Australians, it is hard to go past the old classic, Packham Pear

packham pear© by Haalo


Packham Pears were developed here in Australia by Charles Packham in 1896. They are the result of crossing Williams with Bell Pears to produce a largish, bumpy, green-skinned pear. As they ripen the skin will yellow slightly while the flesh remains a pleasant white. They are a lovely pear to eat - juicy and sweet.

For this cake, I've cut the pears in large pieces - I just think it makes the final product a little more interesting especially when you take a bite and are rewarded with that sweet juicy hit of pear. To contrast with a bit of crunch, walnuts provide a perfect foil.


pear and walnut cake© by Haalo

Pear and Walnut Cake

3 pears, peeled and roughly chopped
80 grams walnuts, roughly chopped
250 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
180 grams caster sugar
125 grams melted butter, cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100mls milk


Sift the flour, baking powder and caster sugar together and place into a bowl. Add the walnuts and pears and toss them through the dry ingredients.

Place the eggs and milk into a small bowl and whisk lightly - add this to the dry ingredients along with the butter and stir thoroughly until well amalgamated.

Pour into a lined spring-form tin (22cm/9inch) and bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 45 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Let it sit in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.

pear and walnut cake© by Haalo

Dust with icing sugar when ready to serve.

pear and walnut cake© by Haalo

As we all should be eating more fruit, I think it will be easy to justify a second piece!

23 comments

  1. What a delicious combo of flavors, Haalo. I love baking with pears, even though I don't do it much. Great cake!

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  2. I have a muffin recipe that has nice big pieces of pear in it and I know what you mean. It is a gorgeous moment when you bite into the pear.
    Your cake looks very, very tasty :P

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  3. I can't wait for pears to fully be in season in Seattle. This cake is tempting and I might have to bake (which I rarely do!).

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  4. Love it!

    Paz

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  5. This looks absolutely delicious. I like the idea leaving big chunk of pear.

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  6. This looks fantastic! Can I substitute other fruits, too? How about apple or nectarine?

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  7. Ive never made a pear cake before. Like the idea of walnuts for different texture. Sounds really good

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  8. Your pear cake looks marvelous and so moist. Pears have such a delicate aroma, they transform a cake into such a special treat.Your pictures are lovely.

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  9. The texture of the cake looks classic! The pictures are perfect!

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  10. Thanks Patricia - sounds like it might be a good time to bake with pears again!

    That's exactly what I wanted with this cake Holler!

    Hi VB - I think if you bake it, you'll want to bake another!

    Thanks Paz - I've saved you some ;)

    Thanks Maven!

    Thanks Samantha - oh yes, you can pretty much use any fruit you like, it's a very adaptable cake.

    Thanks Beth!

    Thanks Maria!

    Thanks Alexa - so true, the pears do bring a lovely scent to the cake

    Thanks Poonam!

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  11. i made this today as i have a glut of both pears and walnuts; slowly making my way through last years bumper harvest, and threw in the last few choc chips i had lying around. It was delicious. I served it up for afternoon tea and my friend commented how delicious it was, same friend who commented on the last cake of yours i baked. The pears are a great mouthful with the cake.

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  12. Gonna make this tomorrow and take it over to the parents. They will LOVE IT.

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  13. Thank you so much Kel, that is wonderful!

    Thanks Pinky - hope you all enjoy it!

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  14. Good looking recipe... Pear and walnuts work so well together. Hope your pics don't get stolen this time!

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  15. Thanks Jude - me too!

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  16. Thanks for this recipe. I found your blog last week and made this cake over the weekend: it was a great antidote to a crummy cold Sunday. And it is super tasty when warmed up and served with thick cream. 5 stars!

    :)

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  17. Thank you so much Kathleen - so happy to hear that!

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  18. I made this cake two days ago. It was delicious! I will definitely make it again.

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  19. Thanks Eva - glad to know you enjoyed it!

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  20. I have only recently discovered your site and this is the 2nd cake recipe I've made from it. Both were resounding successes but this one was so good I just had to let you know. It looked spectacular out of the oven and tasted even better.

    That said I have to admit I didn't follow the recipe exactly: I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a good dollop of yoghurt. The batter was surprisingly dry so I then added enough milk tobring it to a good consistency. It was so moist with a lovely taste of cinnamon that didn't overpower the pear. Will definitely make it again while pears are still season then will try it with apples instead.

    Cheers!

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  21. Thanks Rachel, happy to know you've enjoyed the cakes - the amount of liquid needed can vary due to the variable nature of flour, some are more absorbent than others so it is best to do as you have done and add enough liquid so it reaches the right consistency.

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  22. I have gluten and dairy intolerances. So I used flax meal and almond meal instead of flour, oil instead of butter and soy milk to replace the milk. I also added vanilla extract and cinammon!

    And it was fabulous!!! Obviously not as light and fluffy due to the flour subsitute! But it was a success!! Happy baking!

    The gluten & dairy free baker

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