Pear & Gingerbread Loaf with Pear Crisps

Pear & Gingerbread Loaf with Pear Crisps

This recipe for Pear & Gingerbread Loaf with Pear Crisps comes from episode 5 of Lyndey Milan’s Summer Baking Secrets, airing Sundays (starting Feb 14 2016) at 12:00pm noon on the Channel 7 network.

Makes: 1 loaf
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (110g) dark brown sugar
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
½ cup (180g) treacle
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups (225g) plain flour
¼ cup (35g) self-raising flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup (125ml) milk
2 medium pears, roughly peeled, diced

Lemon cream cheese frosting
40g unsalted butter
125g cream cheese, softened
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
1½ cups (240g) icing sugar mixture

Pear crisps
1 firm pear
½ cup (125ml) water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
A squeeze of lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Place a 22.5 x 9.5cm silicone loaf pan on a baking tray. Or, lightly grease and line a similar size loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Beat butter, brown sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl of an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the ginger and treacle, mix well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined.
3. Sift the flours, soda and spices together. Fold in half the flour and half the milk and repeat with remaining flour and milk. Add the diced pears and then fold until mixture is well combined.
4. Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan, spread evenly and smooth surface. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in centre of cake. Leave to cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then carefully remove to finish cooling on a wire rack. When cool, spread with frosting and top with pear crisps.
5. To make lemon cream cheese frosting: Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice in medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add icing sugar, in batches, until well combined.
6. To make pear crisps: Preheat oven to very slow, 120°C (100°C fan-forced). Slice the pear very thinly. Combine water, sugar and juice in a small pan, stir over as low heat until sugar is dissolved. Immerse the pear slices in the syrup, and then lay slices out on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper. Bake for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, or until the pear slices have become dry and a little crisp.

Lyndey’s Note: Store this cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Lyndey’s Bake Range is now available to purchase in store from Blueprint Retail in Potts Point! They are located at 46A Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011 and are open every day from 10:00-6:00pm (except Sundays – close at 5:00pm).