This pear, rosemary and frangipane cake makes for a sweet end to dinner this winter.
PEARS are a great way to add fibre to your diet during winter.
With an average of 4.1g of fibre in one medium pear, it's one of the highest fibre fruits available.
Dietitian Rebecca Gawthorne said the mix of fibre and naturally occurring sugars help keep the digestive system healthy.
"Pears are an easy fibre fix, providing both soluble and insoluble fibre," she said.
"As well as being great for digestive and gut health, the fibre hit helps to keep you feeling full for longer and that may be helpful if you are trying to stop or wind back winter weight gain."
The versatile fruit is great in salads, smoothies or even desserts, like this Pear, Rosemary and Frangipane Cake.
Ingredients
- 120g white sugar
- 120g brown sugar
- 110g self-raising flour
- 140g almond meal
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 240g softened butter - room temperature
- 4 eggs beaten - room temperature
- 6 x Winter Nelis Pears peeled and quartered
- 500g sugar
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 vanilla bean cut in half
- Whipped cream to serve
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees.
- Line a 22cm spring form cake tin with baking paper, making sure to leave at least 3cm of paper overhanging the top of the tin.
For the cake batter
- Cream butter and sugar and add eggs one at a time. Fold in almond meal, flour and chopped rosemary, being careful not to over mix.
For the pears
- Add sugar to a heavy based pan and cook to a light caramel. Add vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and toss the pears until coated. Cook for about five minutes.
- Arrange pears in the bottom of the tin, pour over batter and bake at 150 degrees for about 2 to 21⁄2 hours or until cake skewer comes out clean.
- To serve, place slice on serving plate with a spoon full of softly whipped cream and drizzle over any leftover pear caramel. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
Serves 10 people
