Conference pear and cardamom loaf cake

Name: Conference pear and cardamom loaf cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 175 grams unsalted butter; 2 tsp cardamom pods; 175 grams light brown soft sugar; 3 conference pears; 1 lemon; 2 eggs; 175 grams self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1.5 tbsp flaked almonds

Prep: 30 minsCook: 1 hr 10 mins

Prep

30 mins

Cook

1 hr 10 mins

Servings

Difficulty

Hard

Vegetarian

(0)

This wonderfully moist loaf cake has become my go to when I want something special but don't want to fuss too much in the kitchen. Conference pears are naturally sweet and add such lovely texture, while cardamom brings this gorgeous warm spice that just makes the whole thing feel a bit luxurious. Best of all, it uses straightforward pantry ingredients and comes together in just thirty minutes of prep time. Cardamom is also brilliant for digestion, so you can feel good about this treat. It's the kind of cake that's humble enough for weekday tea but impressive enough to share with friends.

Ella x

Ingredients

Servings:

175 gramsunsalted butter(softened, plus extra for greasing)
2 tspcardamom pods(split open and seeds removed)
175 gramslight brown soft sugar
3conference pears(peeled, cored and cut lengthways into eighths)
1lemon(zested)
2eggs(beaten)
175 gramsself-raising flour
1 tspbaking powder
1½ tbspflaked almonds

Detail level

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin; line the base and ends with a strip of baking parchment, slightly overhanging. Crush the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar.
2
Melt 25g butter in a frying pan with 25g sugar until bubbling. Add the pears and cook for 5 minutes, turning often, until slightly soft. Remove the pears, leaving the butter in the pan, and set aside.
3
Scrape the melted butter into a bowl. Add the cardamom, lemon zest and remaining sugar and butter. Beat until smooth and creamy, then work in the eggs, a little at a time. Mix the flour and baking powder, then fold into the mixture until well combined.
4
Chop ½ the pears and stir evenly into the mix. Spoon into the tin and smooth the top. Cover with the remaining pears, topping and tailing them across the cake, then scatter with the almonds.
5
Bake for 50-60 minutes; cover with foil after 45 minutes if it gets too dark. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes, then eat warm with cream, or cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar.

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