Flour and Stone's Pear, Ginger and Hazelnut Cake

26 cm / Serves 15–20
 

This cake began as a humble ginger tea cake but, with the addition of poached pears and toasted nuts, it has morphed into a comforting upside-down cake that’s perfect for a winter pudding. Stem ginger is from the root part of the ginger plant and is commonly used in cakes and biscuits to perk them up. Buy it candied in syrup from good delis and Asian grocers.

 

 

Tin Size	22cm	26cm
Poached pears
Water	1 litre	1.25 litres
Caster sugar	500g	600g
Cinnamon quill	1	1
Fresh or dried bay leaf	1	1
Lemon, strips of peel from	1	1
Pears	5	7
Hazelnuts
Toasted hazelnuts	150g	200g
Cake batter
Unsalted butter, softened	125g	160g
Light brown sugar	100g	125g
Treacle	50g	75g
Eggs, lightly beaten	2	3
Sour cream	80g	100g
Plain flour	100g	125g
Baking powder	1 tsp	1 & 1/2 tsp
Salt	pinch	pinch
Ground cinnamon	1 tsp	1 & 1/4 tsp
Ground nutmeg	1 tsp	1 & 1/4 tsp
Ground ginger	2 tsp	3 & 1/2 tsp
Stem ginger, finely chopped	2 pieces	3 pieces

 

 

Poached pears

Combine the water, sugar, cinnamon, bay leaf and lemon peel in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow the syrup to simmer while you prepare the pears.

Peel the pears, then cut them in half and remove the cores. Pop the pears into the syrup, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until they are tender. The poaching time can vary, depending on the ripeness of the pears you have chosen, so test by piercing one of the pears with the tip of a paring knife. You want a little resistance because they will be cooked again when they go into the cake. Allow the pears to cool in the syrup and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days before you bake the cake.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 22 cm | 26 cm round cake tin with buttered baking paper, dust with flour and set aside.

 

Hazelnuts

Coarsely crush the hazelnuts in a food processor or put them in a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin. Reserve 2 tablespoons of larger crushed pieces and scatter them evenly over the base of the prepared tin. Continue to grind the remaining nuts until you have finer crumbs to put in the batter.

Drain the pears on paper towel or a tea towel to remove any excess liquid and arrange them, cut-side down, over the hazelnuts in the tin. The syrup can be frozen for next time you need to poach pears.

 

Cake

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and treacle on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Give the eggs a light beat with a fork, then gradually add to the fluffy butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula every now and then if the egg is not incorporating with the butter. Add the sour cream and beat again to combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices together and fold them through the butter mixture, then fold in the stem ginger and remaining ground hazelnuts to complete the batter.

Spread the batter over the pears and smooth the surface using a spatula or a palette knife. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 150°C and bake for a further 35–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the tin for 30 minutes, then turn it out upside-down onto a serving plate.

 

To serve

This cake is fabulous served with custard or ice-cream. It will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.