This cake must, must, must be eaten fresh and warm from the oven.

Recipe: Alice in Cakeland by Alice Taylor  Photo: Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios).

Serves: 4

I cooked this dish in my audition for MasterChef. This is the cake that changed my life. It made me believe that I was a good baker, and that I understood flavour and balance. I don’t really bake this cake anymore because I feel as though that chapter is closed and I get quite emotional when I make it. In saying that, I am so excited to share it with you and I hope you enjoy it. What I would say is that this cake must, must, must be eaten fresh and warm from the oven. Think of it as a hybrid between cake and pudding. The components that I serve with it, especially the syrup from the nashi pears that soak into the cake, elevate the dessert.

INGREDIENTS

CAKES
125 g (4½ oz) butter, plus extra for greasing
45 g (1½ oz) ginger, peeled with a spoon and grated with a fine microplane
¼ cup golden syrup
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup self-raising flour
pinch of salt
¼ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp ground ginger
⅓ whole nutmeg, grated with a fine microplane
1 egg, at room temperature
⅓ cup cream, at room temperature

ORANGE AND MAPLE CARAMELISED NASHI PEARS
2 tbsp butter
splash of oil
2 small nashi pears, peeled and diced
⅓ cup maple syrup
zest and juice of 1 orange, plus extra zest for garnish
lemon juice, to taste (start with ½ lemon)
zest of ½ lemon, plus extra for garnish

WALNUT BRITTLE
½ cup caster sugar
¾ cup walnuts, toasted with a pinch of salt
around 2 tsp butter

CRÈME FRAÎCHE
250 g (9 oz) crème fraîche
1½ tsp vanilla paste
75ml (2½ fl oz) cream

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-bake. Grease 4 × 10 cm (4 in) mini cake tins and line with baking paper.

To make the cakes, melt the butter, grated ginger and syrups together in a small saucepan over a medium heat until the butter is completely melted and a few bubbles form. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, mixed spice, ground ginger and nutmeg until combined. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg and cream until combined.

Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour in the cream mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake tins.

Bake for 13–16 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. When the cakes are cooked, remove from the oven. Turn out after 5 minutes.

To make the Orange and Maple Caramelised Nashi Pears, brown the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Once it has browned, add oil. Add the nashi pears in an even layer over the pan. Cook until browned and caramelised on both sides. Remove from the pan.

To the same pan add and whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the pears back in. Simmer on a low heat and reduce for around 10 minutes, until the pears are tender and the syrup has reduced. Taste and adjust the flavour if needed.

To make the Walnut Brittle, line a baking tray. In a small saucepan, add the sugar. Add enough cold water to make a wet sand consistency. Place on a medium heat and cook until the sugar turns into a syrup and then a golden caramel. Do not stir the caramel — just swirl the pan if needed. If there is any sugar sticking to the sides, use a wet pastry brush to brush those crystals away. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the walnuts and butter with a wooden spoon. Pour onto the prepared tray to cool.

Once cooled, break up into even medium-sized pieces, and either chop roughly or pulse in a food processor until the praline resembles a chunky crumble.

To make the Crème Fraîche, add all the ingredients to a bowl and beat with an electric beater until very thick and creamy. Place in a container and scrape it up against one side. This allows you to spoon a nice quenelle at the end. Keep in the fridge until needed.

To serve, place each cake slightly off-centre on a plate. Lay nashi pears around one side of each cake and spoon over some extra drizzle. Sprinkle the brittle next to the pears and place a spoonful of crème fraîche over each cake. Use a hot dry spoon if you want to make a quenelle. Garnish with extra orange and lemon zest.

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Images and text from Alice in Cakeland by Alice Taylor, photography by Lottie Hedley and Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios), published by Allen and Unwin NZ RRP $45.00.