This is the most perfectly delicious fruit/sponge combination. So little flour is used in this recipe that what comes out of the oven is almost a whisper of a cake - fairy light and studded with chunks of silky pear. It is really delicious .. and really what can ever go wrong with pear, sponge and cream?
Ingredients
3 eggs
130gm castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essance
35 gm (1/4 cup) plain flour, sifted
30 gm (1/4 cup) wheaten cornflour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
90gm unsaltd butter
3 ripe pears, peeled cored and cut into 2cm dice
Method:
Preheat oven to 170'C fan forced.
Grease the ring of a 24cm springform tin, then turn the base upside down so it no longer has a lip. Place a piece of baking paper over it, then clamp the ring around it to secure.
Combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk on electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is triple it's original volume. Using a hand whisk, gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients until smooth. Tilt the bowl to make sure you are reaching right to the bottom, where the remnants of melted butter might be sitting.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then drop the chunks of diced pear evenly over the surface. Don't worry if there are a few pieces peeking through the top of the batter.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. The cake will balloon up when cooking, then collapse a bit after cooling, so don't have a meltdown when this happens.
Cool completely in the tin, before sliding a paring knide around the edge of the cake to release the ring.
Carefully slide the cake onto a serving plate, leaving it on the baking paper becasue the texture is very delicate.
Serve with your choice of dolloping cream.