Pear and Walnut Cake

Pears are certainly one of the more plentiful fruits of winter and for Australians, it is hard to go past the old classic, Packham Pear



Packham Pears were developed here in Australia by Charles Packham in 1896. They are the result of crossing Williams with Bell Pears to produce a largish, bumpy, green-skinned pear. As they ripen the skin will yellow slightly while the flesh remains a pleasant white. They are a lovely pear to eat - juicy and sweet.

For this cake, I've cut the pears in large pieces - I just think it makes the final product a little more interesting especially when you take a bite and are rewarded with that sweet juicy hit of pear. To contrast with a bit of crunch, walnuts provide a perfect foil.



Pear and Walnut Cake

3 pears, peeled and roughly chopped
80 grams walnuts, roughly chopped
250 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
180 grams caster sugar
125 grams melted butter, cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100mls milk

Sift the flour, baking powder and caster sugar together and place into a bowl. Add the walnuts and pears and toss them through the dry ingredients.

Place the eggs and milk into a small bowl and whisk lightly - add this to the dry ingredients along with the butter and stir thoroughly until well amalgamated.

Pour into a lined spring-form tin (22cm/9inch) and bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 45 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Let it sit in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.


Dust with icing sugar when ready to serve.


As we all should be eating more fruit, I think it will be easy to justify a second piece!