Spiced Pear and Ginger Cake – Moist, light and gingery!

I have been raving about wanting to make this cake for AGES! At the start of the summer Cathy, Nic and I went to The Wild Trapeze in Heaton, Newcastle.  It’s a fab, quirky little joint and does some amazing cakes.  I spotted this cake and knew I had to try it…a beautiful mix of spices, moist cake and tangy cream cheese with the amazing kick of fiery ginger.  Even though the chef was very cagey about his recipe I was determined to try and replicate this.  It is a work in progress and the pear flavour; being quite a mild fruit, is hard to get through, so I have plans to remake this with a middle sliced tinned pear layer…Mmmmm!  Despite that this works really well and if you fancy something to couple with a coffee, this is the cake to make…it also lasts a couple of days and reaps many slices…you will need a fork to eat it with though

Ingredients

Cakes

• 225g self-raising flour
• 2tsp ground ginger
• 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g Stork
• 100g golden syrup
• 100g black treacle
• 100g brown sugar
• 50g stem ginger diced small
• 2tbsp stem ginger syrup
• 100ml semi-skimmed milk
• 100ml pear juice (from tinned pears)
• 2 eggs

Syrup

•  50ml pear juice
• 2tbsp stem ginger syrup

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180degrees (160 for fan ovens)
• 

  Grease a cake tin – I used a 20cm – then line the base

  

  Whizz together the butter, flour, cinnamon and bicarb

  

  Put the golden syrup, treacle, brown sugar, stem ginger syrup and diced stem ginger in the saucepan

  

  Whilst that gently dissolves measure out 100ml pear juice, 100ml milk and the eggs

  

  Grate the pears…skins and all!

  

  Add the milk and juice mix to the dissolved warm mix

  

  Slowly pour the entire mix in to the dry ingredients

  

  Add the grated pears and mix until fully combined

  

  Pour in to the tin and place on a baking tray

  

  Bake for 45mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20mins

  

  Release from the tin and place on a wire rack to fully cool…don’t forget to remove your greaseproof base

  

  Whilst it is still cooling making holes over the cake with a skewer and add the drizzle mix

  

  Now for the FROSTING!!! Beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy…slowly add the icing sugar – prepare for a SUGAR CLOUD!!! Then the vanilla

  

  Spread thickly over the cooled cake and top with chopped crystallised ginger (optional)

  

  Mmmmm stacked moist and creamy deliciousness

  So there you have it!  A cake that would be amazing at a tea party, kept in a tin for a few days to tuck in to gradually or even great served as a pudding.  Grant and I finished this off with a half tinned pear each and it complimented it perfectly.  Some people found the crystallised ginger on top a bit too overpowering so just judge this by your devourers…I love ginger cake so it wasn’t too strong.  Having said that Steve from work and Grant aren’t huge fans of ginger yet they both really liked it once they’d removed the crystallised ginger.

  Like I said this is a work in progress so keep an eye as I plan on adding MORE PEAR!

  Enjoy Baking!

  ZoBird xxx