A fruity, sweet autumn teatime treat, entirely free of refined sugars.
Ingredients (makes one large cake of approx. 12 slices)
4 ripe, seasonal dessert pears (Conference work well here)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
75g vegetable oil, plus ½ tbsp for glazing
4 tbsp maple syrup, plus ½ tbsp for glazing
2 eggs
100g Greek yogurt
1 large parsnip, peeled and grated
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
Peel and core three of the pears, chop into rough dice and put them in a saucepan with a splash of water and 1 tsp of the cinnamon. Cover and cook over a gentle heat until the pears are soft and the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before blitzing in a food processor or with a hand blender until you have created a smooth purée.
Whisk the vegetable oil, maple syrup, eggs and Greek yogurt together in a large bowl. Add the pear purée and the grated parsnip and stir well to combine.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and remaining cinnamon into the mix, fold together until thoroughly combined, then pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Core the remaining pear, slice into thin slices and place in a line along the centre of the cake.
Brush the cake with a little vegetable oil and bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and, while the cake is still hot, brush the top with the remaining maple syrup. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely before serving.