Roast pears and olive oil cake recipe

Recipes

Reuben Riffel
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A moist olive oil cake, drenched in a dessert wine syrup and served with sweet roast pears and a dollop of crème fraïche.

Ingredients

For the roast pears

4 pears, preferably South African Forelle pears, halved or quartered lengthways, core removed, stem left intact
80 ml dessert wine
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp caster sugar

4 pears, preferably South African Forelle pears, halved or quartered lengthways, core removed, stem left intact
2.8 fl oz dessert wine
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp caster sugar

4 pears, preferably South African Forelle pears, halved or quartered lengthways, core removed, stem left intact
0.3 cup dessert wine
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp caster sugar

For the cake

115 g caster sugar
2 eggs
185 ml olive oil
125 ml dessert wine
80 ml milk
2 lemons, finely grated zest only
185 g plain flour
2.5 tsp baking powder

4.1 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
6.5 fl oz olive oil
4.4 fl oz dessert wine
2.8 fl oz milk
2 lemons, finely grated zest only
6.5 oz plain flour
2.5 tsp baking powder

4.1 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
0.8 cup olive oil
0.5 cup dessert wine
0.3 cup milk
2 lemons, finely grated zest only
6.5 oz plain flour
2.5 tsp baking powder

For the syrup

115 g caster sugar
125 ml dessert wine

4.1 oz caster sugar
4.4 fl oz dessert wine

4.1 oz caster sugar
0.5 cup dessert wine

To serve

1 cup reduced fat crème fraïche

1 cup reduced fat crème fraïche

1 cup reduced fat crème fraïche

Details

Cuisine: South African
Recipe Type: Dessert
Difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 105 mins
Serves: 8

Step-by-step

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Place the pears in a roasting tin, drizzle with the wine and oil and sprinkle with the sugar. Roast for 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and starting to caramelise. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, to make the cake, lightly grease an 11 x 22cm loaf tin, and line the base and sides with baking paper. Beat the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
Add the oil, wine, milk and lemon zest and beat until well combined. Add the combined, sifted flour and baking powder and slowly beat until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake alongside the pears for 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the wine syrup, place the sugar and 2 tbsp water in a small pan and stir constantly, over a very low heat, without letting it boil, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Increase the heat and allow the syrup to simmer, brushing the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush if necessary, until the syrup turns a golden colour. It is important to keep an eye on the syrup at all times, as once it starts to colour, it will continue to darken very quickly.
Turn off the heat, add the wine and stir to combine. Some of the syrup may solidify at this point. If this is the case, return it to a very low heat until it dissolves again. Set aside to cool.

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