Italy inspired Plum and Pear cake

Nellie Kerrison

February 17, 2023

Christmas Recipes, Recipes, Sweets, Baking, Vegetarian

Plum and Pear cake, Italy inspired Plum and Pear cake

This recipe for my Plum and pear cake was updated February 2023. The time it speaks of is 2015.

I have just returned from the most wonderful Relish Mama food tour of Liguria, Italy (more of this over here).

It is autumn in Italy right now where glorious autumn fruit is in abundance.

One afternoon, during this very magical week, we had a few hours to ourselves, to do as we pleased. I am not sure what the others in the group got up to but I managed to find and eat both the finest piece of Plum and Pear cake and the most luscious gelato that has ever passed this greedy girl’s lips. I like to call it both skill and being incredibly efficient with one’s free time!

Returning home, I wanted to recreate this wonderful Plum and Pear cake. We are fast approaching Summer (not that today’s rain makes me feel that way) and the long and the short of it is that pears and plums are another few months away (this is only tolerable knowing mangoes, berries and melons can pass my lips). I have never really been one for tinned fruit, but I had to suck it up all in the name of recreating the magic. Although it is not at all as good for you as the real thing, if you select your tinned fruit carefully (eg read the label and don’t buy ones heavy in syrup/sugar), the end result for this Plum and Pear cake will be really pretty special. I might even throw about the word ‘superb’.

I am providing you with the recipe using fresh fruit below so that you can make this delicious Plum and Pear cake when they are in season (generally between November and April) but you can also use 1 tin each of tinned pears and plums and you have yourself a little slice of heaven / Italy right here.

Nellie

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P.S – If you would love to learn more about our food tours, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email or check out our tours page this way.

And, if you would love to learn more about our cooking club……please explore here RM Cooking Club.

Plum and Pear cake

This beautiful Plum and Pear Cake will provide you with a heavenly slice of Italy. It is easy to prepare and special to eat.

2.50 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, sweets, Cake

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Servings:

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Nellie Kerrison | Relish Mama

Cost: 12

Equipment

1 Mixing bowl
Cooking spoon
25cm spring-form cake tin
Spatula
Oven

Ingredients

300 g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
A large pinch of salt
450 g caster sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoon depending on sweetness of plums
225 g unsalted butter softened
4 large eggs
10 smallish purple Italian purple plums halved and pitted
4 pears quartered and cored
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons or tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Heat oven to 180oC.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
In another bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color.
Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl, then the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Spoon batter into a greased 25cm springform pan and smooth the top.
Arrange the plums and pears, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then remaining sugar.
Bake for approx. 45-50 minutes or until cake is golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a cooling rack.
This cake gets better the next day so it is perfect to prepare in advance the day before you need it (we all love a cake that gives us a head start right!).

Notes

Please see the notes in the post regarding using tinned fruit for this Plum and Pear cake recipes when the fruit is not in season.

Nutrition

We are off to Italy again for our Relish Mama food tour October 3^rd – 10^th, 2016. Check our website for more info. We’d love for you to experience this incredible journey with us.