A family favourite when pears are in season. Serve with ice cream or combine 150ml natural unsweetened yoghurt with 150ml lightly whipped cream to make a sauce.
Topping
| 75 g | Butter, softened |
| 90 g | Brown sugar |
| 3 | Pears, firm but ripe |
| 6 | Pecans, or walnut halves |
Gingerbread
| 115 g | Plain flour |
| 2 tsp | Ground ginger |
| 2 tsp | Ground cinnamon |
| ¼ tsp | Grated nutmeg |
| ½ tsp | Baking soda |
| 1 pinch | Salt |
| 115 g | Soft brown sugar |
| 125 ml | Milk, lightly soured with a good squeeze of lemon juice |
| 75 g | Butter, melted and cooled |
| 1 | Egg, lightly beaten |
| ⅓ cup | Golden syrup, treacle or organic brown rice syrup |
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Directions
- Heat the oven to 170C. Line the base of a non-stick 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.
- To make the topping, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy then spread over the base of the tin. Halve each pear then using a teaspoon remove the core. Peel pears and replace core with a pecan nut or walnut. Place in the tin, cut-side-down.
- Make the gingerbread, sift the flour, spices, baking soda and salt into bowl. Stir in the brown sugar. Mix together the milk, butter, golden syrup and egg. Pour into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour onto the pears. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in thecentrecomes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Run a palette knife around the edge of the gingerbread before turning out onto a serving plate. Serve warm.
- Tip – if using organic brown ricesyrup,the gingerbread won't be as sweet and the ginger will be less prevalent. Add a little chopped stem ginger in syrup or even finely grate a little fresh ginger into the liquid ingredients.
