Dark Sugar and Ginger Pear Pudding Cake

• 150gunsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
• 4firm ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces
• 190gdark brown sugar
• 35gstem ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tspground ginger
• 200gself-raising flour
• fine salt
• 2large eggs
• 80mlwhole milk
• 300mldouble cream, cold (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Butter and line the base of a 20cm square cake tin.
2. 2Melt 40g of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pears, 40g of the dark brown sugar and the stem ginger; cook for 6 minutes until the pears are glossy and just beginning to soften.
3. 3Tip the pear mixture, including every bit of syrup, into the prepared tin and spread it into an even layer. Leave it to cool for 5 minutes until no longer steaming heavily.
4. 4Beat the remaining 110g butter with the remaining 150g dark brown sugar for 2 minutes until lighter and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth.
5. 5Fold in the flour, ground ginger and a pinch of salt. Stir in the milk until you have a thick, spoonable batter with no dry flour showing.
6. 6Spoon the batter gently over the pears, then level the surface without stirring the fruit underneath. Bake for 35 minutes until deeply browned, springy in the centre and a skewer pushed into the sponge comes out clean.
7. 7Leave the pudding cake in the tin for 10 minutes until the fruit syrup has settled. Run a knife around the edge, turn it out on to a serving plate and cut into warm squares.
8. 8If using, pour the cold double cream alongside each portion so it runs into the sticky pear layer.

Per serving

kcal

520

protein

6.8g

fibre

4.7g

carbs

74.4g

fat

23.1g