Pear and Apple Cake

Makes one large tube cake  

Moist and spicy and stogged full of fruit, raisins and nuts.  Delicious served warm with some caramel sauce.  Feel free to leave out the raisins and nuts if you don’t like them.

420g of plain flour, plus more for dusting the pan (3 cups)
354ml of vegetable oil (1 1/2 cups)
380g of granulated sugar (2 cups)
3 large free range eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

3 cups of peeled and thinly sliced pears and apples (I used cox’s apples and conference pears
from our own trees)
115g of chopped toasted walnuts (1 cup) 150g of sultana raisins (1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Grease a 9 inch tube pan with some shortening and dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, spices, salt and soda.  Set aside.  Put the oil and sugar into a large mixing bowl.   Beat together with an electric mixer, or a stand mixer (using the paddle blade) for five minutes, until thick.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time and continue to beat until creamy.   Stir the dry ingredients into the batter.  Fold in the fruit and nuts.   Spread this batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top over.   Bake for 1 hour and fifteen minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely in the pan before turning out.   Serve at room temperature with or without ice cream and some caramel sauce, if desired.

Oh, I do like me a nice bite of cake.  Bon Appetit!

Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
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