Cinnamon & pear cake

It's nice to be inspired by other bloggers, especially when they inspire you to make something as yummy as this. Once again, this recipe is taken from Technicolor Kitchen. The recipe, again, initially comes from Donna Hay. It's funny getting recipes from an Australian magazine, from a blog that isn't Australian - especially when you own the original magazine it came from.

This cake is quite nice, though it definitely needs to syrup poured over the top at the end. Without it, it's a bit too plain. The recipe is very simple, though I found the number of pears requested by the recipe (initially 3) to be too many, 2 would suffice assuming Australian pears aren't exceptionally large or something along those lines. A bit of ice cream on the side wouldn't go amiss either.

Cinnamon & pear cake

(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine #14)
serves 8-10

2 pears, cut in half, then each half into four wedges, seeds removed
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
184g (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
55g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
55g (1/3 cup)dark brown sugar
3 eggs
225g (1 1/2 cups + 1 1/2 tablespoons) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon all spice
80ml (1/3 cup) whole milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F); generously grease and line the bottom of a deep 23cm (9in) fluted flan/tart pan with a removable bottom.

Combine the pears, honey and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until the pears are just tender. Drain the pears, reserving the poaching liquid.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg over the butter mixture, beat in at a slow speed just to incorporate. Fold through the milk.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the pears on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Carefully remove the cake from the pan while still warm, spoon over the reserved poaching liquid and serve immediately.