by Coinneach MacLeod from The Hebridean Baker 'My Scottish Island Kitchen' (Black & White Publishing)
Photography: Susie Lowe
The first ever video I shared on TikTok was a Ginger Loaf; it’s Peter’s favourite of my recipes. I never expected then that I would be creating a new version of the recipe in my second cookbook! This spiced ginger loaf has been given an elegant twist with poached pears. You could also core the pears before you poach them. I use a 450g (1lb) loaf tin for this delicious cake.
Ingredients
The poached pears
1 orange
1 lemon
1 stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
200g (7oz) granulated sugar
500ml (2 cups) water
3 pears (Bosc pears are a perfect choice)
The loaf
90g (3oz) soft brown sugar
90g (3oz) butter
90g (3oz) golden syrup
2 teaspoons ginger paste
100ml (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) milk
1 egg
125g (4½oz) plain flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon mixed spice
¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Extra handful of plain flour to dust pears
Method
First, poach the pears. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest from the orange and lemon into a saucepan. Squeeze the juice from the orange and pour into the pan.
Add the cinnamon stick, cloves and sugar, pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sugar dissolves.
Peel the pears, keeping the stalks on. Then drop gently into the pan, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely on some paper towels. Now make the loaf. Pre-heat your oven to 160°C fan (350°F) / gas 4.
Into a saucepan add your brown sugar, butter, golden syrup and ginger paste. Stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and the ingredients have combined. Let that cool for 5 minutes.
Stir in your milk and whisk in the egg.
In a separate bowl add your sieved flour, ground ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Make a well in the middle, pour in your wet mixture and combine well.
Dust your cooled pears with some plain flour, then get your lined loaf tin and stand the pears in the tin. If they are particularly rounded, slice off the bottom so they sit perfectly. Pour your cake batter around the pears.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack.
Drinks tasted on air, alongside the dish.
