Cardamom Cinnamon & Poached Pears Loaf Cake Recipe

This is an easy one. Quick, full of flavours, like anything you would want to make on a Sunday afternoon, for the week ahead, and then it's gone within a few hours.

Here we go!

Ingredients (for a tin 30x15cm, 10cm high)

165g Butter at room temperature
165g Sugar
130g Pastry & Cake Flour
3 Eggs at room temperature
40g Almond Meal
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
8-10g Cardamom pods, crushed - remove the outside shells before crushing 
Orange Zest

3 Pear Williams - peeled 
750g Water
150g Sugar
3 Cinnamon Sticks 
Peel of 1 Orange

Method

To poach the pears: bring water, sugar, pears previously peeled, cinnamon sticks and orange peel to a soft boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, then drain the pears and leave them on a paper towel to dry. 

For the dough: mix the butter and sugar together until white and fluffy, then slowly add one egg at the time. Add the flour, baking powder, almond meal, orange zest and continue mixing until well combined.

Pour the mix in the tin previously greased with butter and lightly dusted with flour. Then gently press the pears in the dough, equidistant from each other making sure to leave some batter between the pears.

Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes, then let rest before removing it from the tin. To safely taking it out, we flipped the tip upside down, using our forearm to hold the loaf before gently laying it on a plate. Serve with a spoon of mascarpone cheese, a glass of vinsanto or a cup of Chai tea.

Enjoy!