It’s time when flavours of fall have taken over the summer bounty. Although we are observing late rain showers this year, but few things have different story to tell. It’s time when market is flooded with fruits of fall. Pears, apples and pomegranates are back in abundance with their ripest and sweetest form ever. It’s one of my favourite seasons besides spring. While Spring has the beauty of blushing flowers and red juicy strawberries, fall on the opposite side has the myriad colours of drying falling leaves and fragrant pears and ruby red pomegranate pearls.
And I thrive on fresh seasonal produce. You’d have seen the regular use of seasonal produce in my baking, which clearly tells how I love them in my cakes and bakes. They bring a life in entirety to the regular home bakes I keep on trying regularly. Ironically it keeps the regular feel far away from such easy home kitchen recipes. And what else one could dream of – a simple and sometimes an old recipe getting revived with the new seasonal flavours.
I baked one chocolate chunk pear cake few days back which almost reminded me of the Chocolate & Pear Teabread, which I had baked last year. Sadly, I couldn’t take pictures of it, as I was in hurry to get home soon and meet the parents. And I was itching so badly, that I wanted to get at least one Pear recipe this season, before they get disappeared off the shelves.
So determinedly, I baked this Pear Ginger & Rosemary cake {actually, three mini loaves} and took photos of them. Now, if I talk about the ginger, it was from the jar of remaining candied ginger from the last year’s Chocolate Chip & Candied Ginger Cookies. Ginger, which is again a flavour of festive season, pairs really well with Pears.
And the Rosemary, just accentuates the flavour of aromatic Pears and the spicy sweet ginger. Such beautiful medley of flavours! And I am in love with them. And if that isn’t just enough for you, I tell you that these cakes are baked without eggs. Wow!!! isn’t that just a bonus, for all you lovely vegetarian people. I think it is, at least for my mommy, who doesn’t eat eggs. She just loved them.
- 200 gm cake flour
- 100 gm sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
- 2 tbsp finely chopped candied/stem ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 100 gm unsalted butter, softened
- 175 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup pears, peeled, chored, and sliced
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 25 gm sugar
- 50 gm cold butter (cubed)
- In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and butter and rub the mixture with your fingertips so that it eventually resembles the bread crumbs.
- Stir in the walnuts and keep in fridge, until ready to use.
- Preheat oven at 180 degree Celsius. Line and grease either 3 2-cup capacity mini loaf pans or one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- In a bowl, sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and stir thoroughly.
- Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer, so that it resembles bread crumbs.
- Add the buttermilk, vanilla and rosemary and stir well to combine.
- Fold in the chopped pears and ginger.
- Divide the batter into prepared pans. Scatter the streusel topping and bake in oven for about 35 - 40 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the middle of cakes comes out clean.
- Let cool the cakes in pan for 15 minutes and then invert them onto wire racks to let cool completely.
