Easy pear cake with spiced whipped cream and walnuts

Step 1/ 4

• butter (for greasing)
• flour (for dusting)
• ⅓ lemon
• 66⅔ g butter
• 53⅓ g sugar
• 1⅓ eggs
• 66⅔ g flour
• 1⅓ g baking powder
• salt

• oven
• springform pan (10 in.)
• fine grater
• large bowl
• hand mixer with beaters

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F top/bottom heat. Grease a springform pan and dust with flour. Finely grate 1 tsp lemon zest. In a large bowl, combine butter, most of the sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest and beat with a hand or stand mixer on high speed for at least approx. 3 min. Gradually add in the eggs and continue beating. Then add the flour, baking powder and mix everything into a smooth cake batter ensuring there are no lumps left.

Step 2/ 4

• 13⅓ g walnuts
• ⅓ tbsp water
• 6⅔ g sugar
• 1⅓ pears

• bowl (small)
• cutting board
• knife

Mix the walnuts in a small bowl with water and the remaining sugar. Peel and halve the pears and remove the core. Slice the pieces lengthwise into thin wedges. Preserve some for garnish. Slice the remaining pear wedges into bite sized pieces. Then add to the mixing bowl and fold them into the cake batter. Pour the mixture into the greased springform pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the preserved walnuts.

Step 3/ 4

• toothpick

Transfer the cake to the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for approx. 40–45 min., until it is baked through and the top is nicely browned. Use a toothpick to test if the batter is baked through, before taking it out of the oven.

Step 4/ 4

• 66⅔ g cream
• ⅓ tbsp vanilla sugar
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
• ⅓ pinch ground nutmeg
• ⅓ tbsp confectioner’s sugar (for dusting)

• large bowl
• fine sieve

At the end of the baking time, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly before removing it from the tin. Meanwhile, in a deep mixing bowl use a hand mixer to whip the cream together with the vanilla sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Chill until ready to serve. Dust the top of the cake with confectioner's sugar and serve with the spiced cream. Garnish with some preserved pear wedges.

Enjoy your meal!