The duck main course – indeed, any duck dish – needs something uncomplicated to follow it. A simple loaf cake such as this is a good thing and doesn’t have to be kept just for teatime. This recipe contains three my favorite autumn ingredients – pears, blackberries, and hazelnuts – and the blackberries give lovely buss of sharpness; I like to serve more on the side. A mulled red wine sorbet would also be lovely at the end of this meal, if you don’t want to bake a cake, or try a simple apple tart.
SERVES 8
- unsalted butter, for the tin
- 200g (7oz) plain flour
- 1 large pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 150g (5½oz) blackberries, plus more to serve
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
- pinch of sea salt flakes
- 215g (7½oz) natural full-fat yogurt
- 115ml (4fl oz) regular olive oil
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- finely grated zest of ½ orange
- 50g (1¾oz) hazelnuts, toasted and very roughly chopped
- icing sugar, to dust
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ gas mark 4 and butter a loaf tin measuring 23½ x 13 x 6cm (9½ × 5 x 2½in). Line the base with baking. parchment.
Toss 2 big spoonful’s of the flour with the pear and blackberries. Put the rest of the four in a large bowl and add the baking powder, sugar and salt.
Mix the yogurt with the regular olive oil in a jug and add the eggs, vanilla and orange zest.
Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, making sure the flour is properly mixed in, then carefully fold in the floured fruit, then the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully run a knife between the cake and the tin and turn out on to a wire rack. Turn the cake so it is the right way up. Leave to cool, then dust with icing sugar.
Serve in slices, with extra blackberries on the side. I like sweetened creme fraiche with it but offer whipped cream if you like that better.
