Sticky prune, pear and ginger cakes with ginger caramel

The Guardian

a day ago

A variation of my mum's beloved sticky date pudding, these little cakes are all warming spice and soft, cooked fruit. As they're made with wholemeal flour, sticky prunes and pear, I like to kid myself that these are, in fact, healthy muffins. But then I drown them in ginger caramel and a puddle of cream, and that illusion is shattered!
On a cold evening these really are heavenly, and I wouldn't even blame you if the leftovers masqueraded as breakfast the next day. The prunes are lovely in this – I actually prefer them to dates. If you're not convinced, just think of them as dried plums.
I have often gifted a box of these, along with an accompanying jar of caramel sauce, and they are always well received.
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Makes 6
100g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease185 ml full cream (whole) milk
125g caster sugar
120g pitted prunes, halved1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 small pears, ripe but firm150g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust tins3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
Ginger caramel sauce100g unsalted butter, cubed165g light brown sugar
200ml single cream, plus extra to serve (optional)1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced and grease a large muffin tin (with six 180ml capacity holes) well with softened butter. Line the bases of the holes with circles of baking paper, then dust with a little wholemeal flour, tapping out any excess.
Put the butter, milk, sugar, prunes and fresh ginger in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat, stir in the bicarb soda and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and vanilla.
Peel and quarter the pears, removing the cores. Cut the quarters into 1–2cm pieces and set aside.
Place the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the cooled prune mixture, along with the pear pieces, stirring gently until just combined.
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Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and risen, and just a few damp crumbs cling to a skewer when tested. Allow the cakes to cool a little in their tins while you make the ginger caramel sauce.
Add the butter, sugar, cream and ginger to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat down and let the caramel bubble for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, and watching carefully that the caramel doesn't bubble over. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaky sea salt.
Carefully turn the warm cakes out of their tins, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary. Serve the cakes warm, topped with warm ginger caramel sauce and a puddle of pure (single) cream, if you like. I like to use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cakes to allow the caramel sauce to really soak in.
Any leftover cakes and caramel sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days – just heat gently before serving.
This is an edited extract from Handfuls of Sunshine, written and photographed by Tilly Pamment (Murdoch Books: $39.99, out now)