Easter Pear Cake

Easter Pear Cake

Ingredients
100g sultanas
75ml rum
150ml walnut oil
200g sugar
2 large eggs
350g Stoneground Plain Flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
450g pears (cored and cut into small cubes)
Zest of 1 lemon
20cm/8 inch tin (buttered and lined)

Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4

Method Put sultanas and rum into a saucepan and bring to boil being careful to keep alcohol away from the flame. Remove from heat and allow sultanas to plump up. Beat sugar and oil together in a bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating until it has the consistency of light mayonnaise, using an electric whisk if possible. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and fold in with a metal spoon. Stir in the pears, lemon zest and drained sultanas. Smooth down the fairly stiff batter and bake for 1 hour, poking with a wooden skewer to check when done. Let the cake stand for 10 minutes in the tin or on a wire rack, then turn out and leave to cool.  Glaze with warm apricot jam.

Recipe courtesy of Chale Green Stores  www.chalegreenstores.co.uk