Pear Gingerbread Recipe

I created this recipe for Pear Gingerbread for the winter issue of Playground magazine which will be published in the next couple of weeks but thought I would share it here too as it's perfect for autumn & bonfire night.

Ingredients:
250ml apple juice (use for poaching then keep 100ml back for the cake)
2 pears
1 vanilla pod (optional)
100 grams golden syrup
100 grams unsalted butter
40 grams black treacle
100 grams dark muscovado sugar
2 medium free range eggs
250 grams self raising flour
2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt

Method:
1) Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2) Grease and line the base of an 8 inch square baking tin and line with greaseproof paper.
3) First poach the pears for 5 minutes in the apple juice with the vanilla pod and drain, keeping the apple juice for later.

4) Melt together the syrups, butter and sugar in a pan and leave to cool slightly.
5) Sieve together the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
6) Pour in the butter & syrup mix and whisk together, then whisk in the eggs and 100ml of apple juice.
7) Transfer the mixture to the baking tin and arrange the poached pears on top.

8) Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean (check near to the pears as this bit takes the longest to bake.
9) Cool in the tin for 30 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
10) It is delicious warm (with cream!) but tastes even better the next day when the spicy flavours develop. Store in a cool place wrapped in greaseproof paper and foil.