Pear and Cardamom cake.

India is the land of spices! My roots belong to south India where perhaps you’ll find almost every spice. The best part is, most of the spices we have and use at home is cultivated at our home in Kerala. Hence, top quality and pure flavour!

Cardamom has an almost floral fragrance and it imparts a beautiful distinct flavour that can totally take a dish from ‘good’ to ‘GREAT!’ Although you have to be a little careful with the quantity, if not used in proper proportion, it can overpower every other flavour.

This cake looks and tastes amazing, and it is really simple to put together. The slight tartness of the pears pair (PUNNN!) well with the sweet floral flavour of the cardamom. This would be my go to cake when I’m feeling lazy, pears are in season and I need cake. Let’s get baking!

Ingredients:

145 g soft unsalted butter

40 g honey

120 g brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

135 g plain flour

3/4 tsp ground cardamom (Take the tiny seeds of the pod and powder it in a mortar and pestle)

a good pinch of salt

100 ml yogurt/curd

1 large pear (or 2 small pears)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 C. Grease and line a deep 7 inch round cake pan or an 8 inch cake pan (you can also use square) and keep aside.
2. In a medium-large bowl add your butter, honey and sugar and whisk until well incorporated (you can also use a hand held mixer or a standing mixer)
3. Add eggs one by one, whisking after each addition. Then add the vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Sift your dry ingredients into the bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) do not sift the ground cardamom, add it separately. slowly fold in with a spatula adding the yogurt halfway through mixing.
5. Peel and cut your pear into thin slices and keep aside. Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined cake tin, arrange the sliced pears on top of the batter and bake this cake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick/skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. My cake baked for exactly 47 minutes.
6. Once baked, allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20-25 mins before taking it out of the pan to cool completely.

NOTES: 

1. You can adjust the sugar by adding or subtracting around 2 tablespoons.
2. You may use milk instead of yogurt but you may have to reduce it to 80 ml to adjust consistency
3. You can sprinkle some sugar on top of the pears for an added caramelized flavour.
4. The cake is best when consumed the day it is made, although you may store it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

Do try it and let me know how it turned out! 🙂

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Love,

Bakesalotlady ❤