Coffee and Sticky Pear Pudding Recipe

Coffee and Sticky Pear Pudding Recipe

Cloves add a distinctive fragrant flavor to this hazelnut, pear and coffee pudding.

Ingredients : (Serves 6)

30 ml/2 tablespoons ground coffee, e.g. hazelnut-flavored

15 ml/1 tablespoon near-boiling water

50 g/2 oz/½ cup toasted skinned hazelnuts

4 ripe pears

Juice of ½ orange

115 g/4 oz/8 tablespoons butter, softened

115 g/4 oz/generous ½ cup golden caster (superfine) sugar, plus an extra 15 ml/1 tablespoon for baking

2 eggs, beaten

50 g/2 oz/½ cup self-raising (self-raising) flour, sifted

Pinch of ground cloves

8 whole cloves (optional)

45 ml/3 tablespoons maple syrup

Fine strips of orange rind, to decorate

For the Orange Cream:

300 ml/½ pint/1¼ cups whipping cream

15 ml/1 tablespoon icing (confectioners') sugar, sifted

Finely grated rind of ½ orange

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly grease a 20 cm/8 in loose-based sandwich tin (pan). Put the ground coffee in a small bowl and pour the water over. Leave to infuse for 4 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve. Grind the hazelnuts in a coffee grinder until fine. Peel, halve and core the pears. Thinly slice across the pear halves part of the way through. Brush with orange juice.

Beat the butter and the 115 g/4 oz/generous ½ cup caster sugar together in a large bowl until very light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then fold in the flour, ground cloves, hazelnuts and coffee. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface. Pat the pears dry on kitchen paper, then arrange in the sponge mixture, flat side down.

Lightly press 2 whole cloves into each pear half, if using. Brush the pears with 15 ml/1 tablespoon maple syrup. Sprinkle the pears with the 15 ml/1 tablespoon caster sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm and well-risen. While the sponge is cooking, make the orange cream. Whip the cream, icing sugar and orange rind until soft peaks form. Spoon into a serving dish and chill until needed.

Allow the sponge to cool for about 10 minutes in the tin, then remove and place on a serving plate. Lightly brush with the remaining maple syrup before decorating with orange rind and serving warm with the orange cream.