Pear and cinnamon bake

I’ve been hit with a gastric flu-type bug for the latter half of this week, so no baking for me. However, I’ve raided my ‘secret unpublished archive’ (a girl should always hold something back!) and have this delight for you!

After an awful winter it does seem that spring might be in the offing – the nights are definitely drawing out. While this is good on practically every level, there is one level where I wish it was always winter: puddings. A good solid pud with custard or ice cream is never more comforting than during the miserable winter months, therefore I had to sneak this recipe in before my thoughts turned to lighter fare.

I thought the pear slices, gently frying in butter, looked beautiful:

This pudding doesn’t look all that in the bowl but when you turn it out and see all the gorgeous pear slices with thick treacly sauce glistening over and around them, you start to see the beauty!

I can’t really think of a fruit that cinnamon doesn’t compliment; this pudding could be made with apples or, simply by leaving out the frying stage, peaches, apricots, blackberries or nectarines.

The sponge turns deliciously squidgy as the treacle sauce sinks into it:

Ingredients:
For the pears:
2-3 pears, peeled, cored and quartered
Knob of butter

For the treacle:
25g unsalted butter
90g Demerara sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup

For the batter:
125g unsalted butter
120g caster sugar
2 eggs
150g self raising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk (whole or semi skimmed)

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

- Generously grease a 1.2l pudding basin with butter. Make sure that the basin is ovenproof. I used an ovenproof glass basin.

- Cut the pear quarters through again in length so each pair is now cut into 8 chunky slices.

- Heat the knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the pears over a gentle heat just until they soften. Put to one side to cool.

- Now make the treacle: Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the sugar crystals have dissolved.

- Pour the treacle syrup into the prepared basin and then arrange the pear slices on top.

- Now make the batter: Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

- Gradually beat in the eggs. If the mix looks like it might curdle add a little of the flour.

- Fold in the flour and cinnamon.

- Stir in the milk.

- Spoon the batter carefully over the pears. It won’t look like you have that much batter but it will be ample to cover the pears.

- Bake for 40-50 minutes until the cake appears to be cooked.

- Turn out the pudding onto a plate and serve hot with either custard or ice cream

- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.