'Summertime Pear & Orange Wildflower Cake'- Recipe

---

This is the perfect cake for a summertime tea party in the garden, and is also very adaptable to suit your tastes. I chose one of my favourite combinations; pear, orange and vanilla. This delectable treat is best enjoyed with a hot cup of Irish tea, and plenty of summer sunshine.

Summertime Pear & Orange Wildflower Cake

• Makes: 1 cake | prep time: 10 -15 minutes | cooking time: 40-45 minutes | total time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

3 cups (360g) of plain flour (or buckwheat flour if gluten intolerant)

1 cup (226g) of Buttermilk

1 cup (226g) of unsalted butter

2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

4 medium eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tin of pears chopped into pieces

2/3 cup (133g) of granulated sugar

1 cup (200g) of light brown sugar

Buttercream:

1 orange

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup (110g) of Icing sugar

1/2 cup (100g) of unsalted butter

Splash of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 356 degrees Fahrenheit / 180 Celsius. Lightly butter and sugar dust the sides and bottom of a bundt tin (or a circular tin if you have don’t have a bundt).

2. In a bowl, add your dry ingredients; flour, baking and bread soda, and salt. Mix gently with a fork to combine and set aside.

3. Next, add the sugars to another bowl, and using an electric whisk cream with the butter until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and one egg at a time until combined.

4. Next slowly add the dry ingredients a bit at a time and fold in. I add a few splashes of buttermilk to loosen the mixture if it is too dry. Do this by hand, using a spatula to get all the mixture fully combined.

5. Finally fold in the diced pears. The mixture should be firm but wet.

6. Empty the mixture into the tin and place the tin into a pre-heated oven. It will take approx. 40-45 mins to cook depending on your oven. At 40 mins, you can open the oven and insert a clean knife into the centre of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the cake is done, if not, then bake a little longer.

7. When the cake is cool enough to touch, run a knife around the tins edge to release it from the tin, and allow it to fully cool on a wire rack.

8. For the buttercream, whisk the butter on a low speed until creamy and smooth, then add the icing sugar very slowly with a splash of milk each time to avoid any icing sugar dusting your whole kitchen! Keep adding until you have a creamy and slightly fluffy mixture. Then add in your flavourings; I used vanilla extract and some fresh orange zest and a touch of the juice.

9. When the cake is fully cooled, carefully slice horizontally and spread the buttercream thickly on top of the sponge, then cover with the top layer and decorate with your favourite edible flowers from the garden, and a light dusting of icing sugar. Enjoy a chunky slice of this delicious and satisfying cake.

If you’ve tried my recipe, I would love to see the results. Tag me on Instagram with @lostforestjewellery, #lostforestjewellery. - Gillian x