I adore fruit cake and tea cake. I adore cake that doesn’t get lost or doused in layers of cream and sugar. But sometimes I like that too.
Ok fine.
I love cake.
ALL cake.
And this Pear & Vanilla Preserve Cake is no exception.
The standout ingredient is (most obviously) the pear and vanilla preserve, which honestly I don’t know if I would ever again waste on toast. Like ever. again. The entire bottleful went into this cake, and worked so wonderfully well with the crunchy walnuts and the spicy cinnamon and nutmeg. Almost like carrot cake meets orange marmalade cake!
This cake is fantastic served with a warm beverage of choice, and quite honestly, even though I’m not a chai drinker, a steaming cup of cardamon and ginger infused masala chai works wonders with this cinnamon and nutmeg laced tea cake. This recipe is inspired almost entirely by the little recipe ideas that arrive along with my gourmet box every month. Next time, I would love the idea of making my own pear stew, or maybe even using whichever fruit is ripe in season at the time – apples, plum, litchi maybe? Or even as a smart way to use up any combination of jams or preserves piled up in your fridge, that have yet to see the light of day!
Without further ado, a recipe that surprisingly pleased a bevy of are groups, and was rich and dense without being heavy, and made me want to go back for seconds and crumbs! A little dusting of icing sugar covers up the ridges and dents so elegantly, it almost doesn’t even feel like a cover-up!
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup raw sugar (I used Conscious Food's raw Sugar)
- 3 tbs yoghurt mixed with 1 tbs water
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 jar Pear Vanilla Preserve (270gm) + 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans (lightly toasted to ensure freshness and crispness)
- Preheat the oven to 180*c and grease an 8" round cake tin with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. I use Tala's nifty 8" siliconised parchment liners, that give this beautiful ridge to the cake. And, reduces the washing up after!
- Stir together the warm butter, sugar and keep aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the yoghurt and 1 tbs water. Add in the baking soda and vinegar and mix well. The mixture will begin to froth.
- Mix the sugar/butter mixture and the yoghurt mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold in the preserve and the walnuts/pecans. Pour into the prepared tin and bake till golden and firm to touch, approximately 35-45 minutes. Check with a skewer and leave to cool in the baking tin for 15 minutes.
- Enjoy multiple slices with your tea/coffee.
- Store in a cake tin for 4-5 days, at room temperature.
