Michelle Darmody: Fruity cakes that will take you all the way back
A comforting pudding perfect for cold weather days.Â
These recipes contain fruit as their main flavour. The pear is offset with nutmeg, which you can buy either whole or in powdered form. I find a Microplane grater is excellent for finely grating the whole nutmeg.Â
Buying the spice whole will allow it to keep better in your cupboard, particularly if it is something you use only every now and then. Once powdered it will start to lose flavour after a while.
Maple syrup is a wonderful ingredient to use in baking as it has a distinct taste that is hard to put into words; it is like caramel, toffee, dates, or sometimes vanilla.
You can get many strengths and variations of maple syrup but almost all come from either Canada or the northern American states of New England. It is simply the sap from the sugar maple trees that are grown in that region. A hole is created in the trunk of a tree in late February early March when the snow is beginning to melt. The sap leaks out of the tree and is carefully collected. Most trees will yield about 45 litres of sap which is then reduced to a litre of the best quality syrup.Â
This is only a small percentage of the sap each tree produces, so they continue the season healthy and strong, producing tender green buds as the weather warms up and the maple syrup harvesting season comes to an end.
Pear and nutmeg cake
Nutmeg and pears are a delicious flavour combination, showed off to full effect in this cake
Servings
8Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
45 minsTotal Time
55 minsCourse
BakingIngredients
8 pears, peeled and cored, 2 small ones sliced and the rest cut into cubes
100g light muscovado sugar and 2 tsp for sprinkling over the cake
1 tsp ground nutmeg, half for sprinkling over the cake
190g butter
4 eggs
200g self-raising flour
60g golden sultanas
80g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat your oven to 160°C and grease a 9-inch round cake tin.
Toss the cubes of pear into the base of the cake tin.
Beat the sugar, nutmeg and butter until it is pale and creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time. If the mixture begins to curdle add a spoon of the flour. Once the eggs are well-mixed, add in the flour until it forms a smooth batter. Stir in the chopped pecan nuts and the golden sultanas.
Scoop this mixture over the fruit and place the pear slices on top. Sprinkle some more nutmeg and brown sugar over the cake.
Bake for about 45 minutes until the topping is golden, and the fruit is soft.
Steamed banana pudding
Soothing, simple nursery food like this is often the most comforting
Servings
6Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
45 minsTotal Time
55 minsCourse
BakingIngredients
For the banana layer:
100g butter, melted
2 bananas, thinly sliced
½ tbps golden syrup
2 tbsp maple syrup
For the sponge layer
175g soft butter
the zest of an orange
160g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten
175g self-raising flour
Method
Pour the melted butter, maple syrup and golden syrup between six ramekins that are about 175ml in volume. Dot the sliced bananas in on top.
Whisk the butter, zest and sugar for the sponge until it has turned pale in colour. Slowly add in the eggs and vanilla adding a little flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Once the eggs have been combined add the flour. Scoop this mixture on top of the bananas.
Cover each of the ramekins loosely with tinfoil, you can tie it with string to secure it in place. Place them into a large saucepan standing the ramekins onto an upturned plate. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the ramekins. Place a lid on the saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium heat, allow to a gentle steam for about 45 minutes or until the puddings have risen and are firm to touch. You can top the saucepan up with boiling water, while steaming, if the level gets too low.
Gently turn upside down out onto plates while still warm.
