Dreaming up a cake good enough for my Mum’s 70th birthday was made a whole lot easier when I spotted 4 lonely pears clinging on to the pear tree for dear life. Pretty impressive they’re still there with the gusting winds we’ve had over the past few days.
Oh, before I launch into the tasty virtues of this cake, I must let you know that Mum’s Superhero Skydive was a blast! She is still buzzing, 3 days later! I’ll sneak some pics from the skydive at the bottom of this post :)
Anyway, cake. So Mum loves pears and she LOVES ginger. Doesn’t that sound like a duo made in heaven? Now, I know that the looks of my cake would never win the Great British Bake Off, but it tastes WAY better than it looks. Promise ;)
- 3 pears I only used 2 as mine were HUGE!, peeled, halved & cored
- A little lemon juice
- 50 g crystallised ginger finely chopped
- 150 g butter
- 110 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 170 g plain flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- A little water
- Preheat the oven to 180/350/gas 4, grease a 7" cake tin.
- Pop the pear halves, cut side down, in the bottom of your cake tin. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice to prevent them browning whilst you prepare the cake mix.
- Chop the crystallised ginger and sprinkle half over the pears.
- Cream three quarters of the butter with the sugar. When it's light and creamy, add an egg and beat together well.
- Fold in the flour, ground almonds, ground ginger and baking powder adding the second egg and the rest of the crystallised ginger. Mix well, adding a little water until you have a thick but smooth consistency.
- Melt the remaining quarter of the butter and pour over the pears, then immediately dollop the cake batter on top, smoothing it down as you go.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 150 for a further 45 - 50 minutes.
- Run a knife round the side of the tin to loosen the cake. Then turn out onto a cooling rack where the pears will shine from all that gingery, buttery goodness.
And as promised, the before and after shots of Mum’s Superhero Skydive on her 70th birthday! We had to wait at the airfield for 7 hours before the weather cleared enough to enable them to jump.
It was a magic day, she a ball and completely thrashed her £500 target! Thank you to everyone who sponsored her, it means the world to us all xxx
Karen says
Well done Mom! What a SUPERWOMAN you are! xxx
Jane Sarchet says
Hehe, I shall pass your message on Karen! :)
Janie x
Glamorous Glutton says
Pear and ginger a great combo. I’m so impressed by your mother, it’s such an amazing thing to have done, really, AMAZING!! GG
Jane Sarchet says
I know right, isn’t she fabulous :)
Janie x
Tammy/Our Neck of the Woods says
Hooray for your mom! I’m so happy for her that she completed her dive and all went well! So admirable and brave.
Your cake looks delicious! Definitely sublime :)
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks Tammy, she is a real life Superhero :)
Janie x
Krista says
Your Mom rocks. :-) And you are fabulous to make this gorgeous cake for her. I like the rustic, not-fancy look. :-)
Jane Sarchet says
Krista, you are a sweetheart :)
Janie x
Lou Foti says
Well done Super Woman Mum!! That’s just AWESOME. Bet she was also just a teeny weeny bit chuffed with your cakey offering too, looks totally lovely and a fabulous combination of flavours!
Jane Sarchet says
How am I ever going to top that for my 70th though…?! :)
Janie x
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
I hope I get to skydive when I am 70. Well done to your mum.
Jane Sarchet says
Me too Bintu, I reckon it’s a great goal to set ourselves!
Janie x
Karen says
WELL DONE to your AMAZING mum and pass a slice of that cake over NOW! K xxx
Jane Sarchet says
Isn’t she amazing? Best role model a girl could wish for :)
Janie x
PS too late, the cake’s all gone :P
Teresa @Tasting Portugal says
What an amazing and brave mother you have!
The cake seems delicious.
Jane Sarchet says
Isn’t she just?! Amazing woman :)
Janie x