Come 7 o clock, whether the kids are down yet or not, I am getting into my PJs and putting the kettle on, ready for a cuppa and a little somethin’-somethin’. Sometimes the kids join me, we have a nice little time. Usually it’s a homemade treat, though last night it was a local bakery’s mince pies. (I’m making some homemade mincemeat today so hopefully my own mincies will feature on here soon – YAY, so Christmassy!)
If I don’t have some homemade treats in the house I get a bit panicky – I can’t fathom having no options to accompany my tea drinking. At this time of year it’s ideally a cake that you can grab a slice quickly, cold with a cuppa for elevenses or a mid afternoon pick me up, or that you can warm up and serve with custard or cream after dinner for a pud – like this one! I like using up overripe fruit in cakes; they are past eating and perfect to use in baking. Some people don’t like walnuts, as they have a slight bitter taste. I suggest replacing with pecans if you’re in this club of walnut haters. They have the same creamy taste and nobbly crunch, but no bitterness.
I have adapted Mary Berry’s Apple and Cinnamon cake here, omitting sultanas, switching up pears for apples and pecans for walnuts. I cooked it for a bit less time too. Also, I folded my fruit throughout, instead of creating a middle layer, which is what Mary does.
This is such a delicious, easy cake. One of the nicest I’ve made for ages.
Makes: a large cake which slices into 8 large or 16 little slices
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
225g softened butter
225g soft brown sugar
225g self-raising flour
3 large eggs
100g pecans, chopped roughly
2 teaspoons of baking powder
400g (ish) of pears, peeled, and chopped into dice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 170C.
- Grease and line a 23cm diameter cake tin.
- Beat all the ingredients together, leaving the fruit till last, and gently folding it in.
- Pour the batter into the lined cake tin.
- Bake for 60 minutes.
- Let it cool in the tin then take out to finish cooling on a rack. Eat warm with cream, then cold without.
