Pear Cake

I have pleasant childhood memories of walking to the local Asian bakery with my 2 older brothers with a pocket of loose change. We would search the house high and low to scrape together $2.50 so we could buy an "apple tea cake". There was nothing special about this cake, it was sweet, moist and we somehow never got sick of it.

I had a bag of pears that were ripening too quickly for normal consumption! It made me think of recreating the cake I loved so much as a child.

PEAR CAKE

Skin and dice 2 ripe pears.
When they're ripe it's gonna be messy but this makes for a juicy, sweet, moist cake!

Beat together 1/2 a block of butter with 1/2 a cup of caster sugar.

Add 1 egg.

In a separate bowl combine your dry ingredients:
1.5 cups self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon

Alternate the addition of your dry ingredients with 1 cup of buttermilk.

Gently fold in the pear cubes.

The final consistency should be on the thick side, like pancake batter.
If too thin then the pear will sink to the bottom.

 Bake at 160 C for approx. 1 hour - after 20 minutes I reduced to 150 C to prevent too much browning on top.

Anzac Bikkies

This is my go-to recipe when I’m craving something quick and sweet to have with my cuppa. This is so easy to make and uses ingredients most people have in their pantry.

People often have their own version of the recipe, and you’re either a chewy or a crunchy kid. I personally prefer chewy, but if you want crunchy – just leave in the oven a few minutes longer.

Combine 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup rolled oats and 1 cup desiccated coconut.

Melt together 1/2 a block of butter, 3/4 cup caster sugar, 2 tbsp golden syrup, 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp baking soda.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Place spoonfuls of dough onto lined baking trays.
Bake at 160 C for 11-15 minutes - depending on your colour and texture preference.