Pear, Lemon and blackberry cake
This delicious Pear, Lemon and blackberry cake with vibrant icing is a firm family favourite. Bursting with flavour from nutty, golden browned butter, fresh sweet blackberries and pears and tangy lemon. It also has a secret and surprising addition that takes it a whole new level! The best bit? The cake is beautifully moist too, due to the addition of ground almonds.
Ingredients
Cake
- 50 g Blackberries
- 155 g Plain Flour
- 225 g Unsalted Butter
- 225 g Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 100 g Ground Almonds
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- Pinch Salt
- ½ Lemon Zest only
- 3 Star Anise Ground in a blender
- 1 Pear Chopped into small pieces
Icing
- 60 g Blackberries a good handful
- 250 g Icing Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Toss Blackberries in 1 tablespoon of the Plain Flour and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 190 C/170 fan/Gas Mark 5.
- Line a 20cm baking tin with baking paper. (Also works with a Bundt tin - make sure to grease all the nooks and crannies!).
- Add butter to a pan over medium heat. Stir regularly as it browns. Continue swirling the butter over the heat until it foams. Keep stirring, the foaming will subside and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be brown. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, with electric beaters, add cooled butter to the bowl. Add sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until pale and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add Plain Flour, Ground Almonds, Baking Powder, Bicarbonate of Soda and Salt.
- Add Lemon Zest and Star Anise and mix for 30 seconds.
- Stir in Blackberries and Pear, making sure not to over stir.
- Pour batter into tin. Bake for 45 minutes - 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Icing by blending together remaining Blackberries, Icing Sugar and Lemon Juice till smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled, drizzle icing over cake.
Notes
Top Tips and Notes For Pear Blackberry Cake
Icing Colour - The Icing Colour varies alot. It has looked different every time I have made it! You can also make it thicker by adding some corn flour and heating it, to areate almost a jam like topping. Adding Blackberries to cake mix - Toss Blackberries in flour to stop them from sinking to the bottom of the cake. You can use frozen or fresh blackberries in this cake . If you are using frozen blackberries, do not thaw them before adding them to the cake batter. Ingredients temperature - Ensure ingredients are at room temperature before making your cake. Pears - Use ripe pears but not mushy pears as they will release too much liquid. I like Conference Pears. Stir gently - Once the flour goes in, don’t over mix or it will result in a tough cake. Bundt tin prep - Grease the bundt tin well to ensure that at the cake does not stick. I add a sprinkling of sugar after the butter too. Baking time - Baking time can vary with this Cake because of how much liquid is released from the Fruit especially the Pears whislt baking.VARIATIONS
20cm tin - This Cake can be baked in any 20cm tin. Star Anise - If you prefer, you can leave the star anise out but I would really encourage you to try it first! You will be surprised at just how delicious it makes the cake. Blackberries - You can skip the Blackberries altogether if you prefer. Or replace with Blueberries!STORAGE
This Pear, Lemon and Blackberry cake will keep for 3 - 4 days in an airtight tin/container. If you have decorated with Blackberries, remove them first as they do go off. If it’s warm where you are, store it in the fridge to help it stay fresh but allows to come to room temperature before serving.FAQs for Pear, Lemon and Blackberry Cake
How do you make moist Pear Cake?
Almond cake and Brown Sugar help to make this a moist cake. Pear and Blackberry juices will also make this a nice moist cake.Do Pears have to be ripe to bake?
Yes they should be ripe but not mushy.What to serve with Pear Cake?
This Pear, Lemon and Blackberry cake is great on its own as it is so full of flavour.Do I have to peel pears before baking?
No the pears don't have to be peeled before adding to the cake.Can I freeze Pear, Lemon and Blackberry Cake?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze this cake. However the cake will be more moist after freezing. To freeze, let it completely cool before freezing. It can be frozen whole or in slices. Wrap tightly in 2 layers of cling film and then either a layer of foil or place in a ziplock bag. It can be frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight so it defrosts slowly and doesn’t become soggy.Nutrition
Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 6gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 174mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 3gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 694IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg
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