Ingredients
Crumble mix
½ C (50g) oats
½ C (60g) white spelt flour
½ C (90g) brown sugar (rapadura)
¼ C (25g) desiccated coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
80 g unsalted butter, diced
1 C (100g) walnuts, chopped
125 g unsalted butter, softened
¾ C (165g) rapadura or raw sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
125g white or wholemeal spelt flour
2½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 C (250 ml) milk (any type you like)
2-3 pears, washed, skin on, core and cut into 1cm dice
Summary
Jude Blereau’s Pear Harvest Cake is much loved. Part warming oat crumble, part amazing spelt cake, it somehow excels at both. This pear cake is also equally wonderful with chopped up rhubarb or feijoas instead, so no matter what you have if it’s Autumn, consider making this to share and put the kettle on!
This recipe is gratefully shared from Jude’s wonderful book Wholefood for the Family – Coming Home to Eat. More from her kitchen at wholefoodcooking.com.au
Jude Blereau’s Pear Harvest Cake
Preheat oven to 170ºC. Grease a 24cm spring-form cake tin and line it with baking paper.
Make the crumble mix by pulsing everything but the walnuts in a food processor or alternatively grab a bowl and rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Try not to overmix it … then add walnuts.
Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time (beating well after adding each one). Add vanilla, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and milk and mix through with a spatula until just combined. Gently fold the diced pears through the mixture and half of the crumble mix as well.
Pour the batter into the greased and lined tin, finishing off with the rest of the crumble on top. Bake for 70-80 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after 50 mins and turn the oven down to 160ºC if the top is getting too brown.
Remove from oven and tin, and enjoy warm or cool. Raise a cup of tea to Autumn and have another slice.
Another Jude B awrsome recipe. I love her wholefoods approach to simple foods. Perfect cake for all the pears we have atm. One typo perhaps, 125g spelt flour is not 2 cups worth, more like 1 cup. I’m waiting for it to come out of the oven right now, smells delicious! Thanks Ceresfairfood! Love you guys.
Isn’t it the best! Enjoy the pears, the cake, and thanks for noticing that typo… have just changed it to 125g to avoid confusion with cups. Thanks!