MASTERCHEF winner and dessert diva Larissa Takchi has put the ‘pear-fect’ spin on dessert for this festive season.
Switching out the traditional fruits, Takchi has replaced them with pears for a twist on some of Australia’s most popular desserts, including this sticky pear pudding.
It swaps the classic dates for pears, which work wonderfully with the pudding spices.
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READ NOWSTICKY PEAR PUDDING
Serves: 8
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes for individual puddings
INGREDIENTS
Pear and Ginger Cake:
3 pears, grated with a box grater or mandolin
165g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cubed, softened
2 eggs
60g golden syrup
150g plain flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. bicarb soda
160ml hot water
Pinch of salt
Caramel Sauce:
150g unsalted butter, softened
300g dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
200ml double cream
METHOD
1) For the pear and ginger cake, lightly spray an eight-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) 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.
Note: You can serve hot or leave to cool. If you do not have a mini loaf tin, you can also use a muffin tin.