Sticky Pear Pudding

 For a twist on a classic, try swapping out dates for pears - they work wonderfully with the spices in the pudding.
 Try this recipe with Packham or William pears – they are great all rounder pears that can be eaten fresh or used in cooking.
Pear and Ginger Cake
 3 pears, grated with a box grater or mandolin
 165 g caster sugar
 125 g unsalted butter, cubed, softened
 2 eggs
 60 g golden syrup
 150 g plain flour
 1 tbsp ground ginger
 2 tsp ground cinnamon
 ¾ tsp bicarb soda
 pinch of salt
Caramel Sauce
 150 g unsalted butter, softened
 300 g dark muscovado sugar
 1 tbsp golden syrup
 200 ml double cream

1

For the Pear and Ginger Cake, lightly spray an 8-cup mini loaf cake tin with canola spray and set aside.

2

Place the sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy.

3

Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the golden syrup and mix to combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift in the flour, spices and bicarb soda. Fold through gently.

4

Add the pear, a pinch of salt and 160ml hot water and fold through until just combined. Pour into prepared tins and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

5

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and golden syrup over a very low heat in a heavy-based saucepan. Once the butter’s melted, stir gently until everything else is melted too. Now stir in the cream, then turn up the heat and when it’s bubbling and hot, take it off the heat.

6

Remove from the oven and place the tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Pour the hot caramel onto the hot cakes, this will help the sauce to soak in.

Note: If you do not have a mini loaf tin, you can also use a muffin tin