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| Pear sponge cake |
I whipped up a little pear sponge cake last week, to bring in for a team meeting at work. It was very simple - a Victoria sponge with some fresh pear halves pressed into the batter. It was a last minute decision, as I had some rapidly ripening pears that needed a home, and I thought they'd work well in a butter cake (similar to my beloved Apfelkuchen). I was sure it would taste nice, but was sure it wouldn't be anything special or noteworthy, so I wasn't planning on blogging it. However, it was really, really good! It smelled brilliant as it was baking, and my team ate it all up with no leftovers! The cake was tender crumbed and fragrant with butter and vanilla, with a light crunch on the corners, and the sweet graininess of the pears really complimented the rich butter cake. Total winner!
I loved it so much that I made it again later that week to welcome Sandra back from a work trip! (Bonus: I got to take some nice photos of it for the blog). (Also bonus: more cake for me).
So, here's what the cake looks like before baking. I peeled, halved and cored the pears, then scored them lengthwise and arranged them over the batter. (Don't bother pushing them into the batter - they sink down and the batter rises up quite well.
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| Cake batter ready for baking |
The first time I baked it, I dusted it with icing sugar, but the second time I left it unadorned. Both were great - your choice!
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| Pear sponge cake |
This is a really great low-key cake, perfect for afternoon tea, a catch-up with friends or just anytime you want a really lovely sweet treat without a huge fuss or culinary cartwheels. It's so delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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| Pear sponge cake |
Pear Sponge Cake
A recipe by Sarah Cooks
Ingredients
113 grams unsalted butter, softened
113 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
100 grams self-raising flour
13 grams cornflour
3 small pears
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 20cm springform cake tin.
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and one egg, and beat well to combine. Add the second egg and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Sieve over the self-raising flour and cornflour, and fold gently into the butter mixture until combined and no more lumps of flour remain. (I prefer to use a wooden spoon for this step, but you could just use the mixer on a low speed).
Spread the mixture into the prepared tin. (It will be quite shallow).
Peel the pears and half lengthwise. Cut out the core and seeds. Place the pears cut side down and score the pears at about 2 millimetre intervals, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Arrange the pears on top of the batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
Allow to cool in the tin for approximately 10 minutes, then release from the cake tin and allow to cool on a rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve if desired.
Makes 1 x 20 cm cake
Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog
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