貴妃梨小紅莓白巧克力合桃蛋糕 Pear, Cranberry, White Chocolate and Walnut Cake

2013 年的第一篇網誌，首先要跟我所有親愛的讀者們說聲新年快樂！

First post in 2013, may I take this opportunity to wish all my dear readers a very Happy New Year! 

多謝你們過去两年來的支持和鼓勵。你們給我的每一字一句、按的每一個讚、一個分享；用我食譜做的每款美食 ... 我都看到和深深感受到。感激你們的慷慨和美意。衷心祝願未年的一年大家健康幸福，生活都過得充實滿足！

Thank you so much for all the supports and encouragements you've given me for the last two years. Be there a word or a sentence, a 'like' or a 'share'; all the lovely food that you cooked with my recipes ... I've seen them and I could feel them with my heart. Truly grateful for all your kindness and generosity. Wishing you good health and happiness all year round, and live everyday contently and happily!  

說回剛過去的假期。在這個地方建立了我們的家，經歷二十多個寒暑後；今年是第一次孩子們「回家」過聖誕。因為暑假之後，他們已經完成學業；離鄉別井，開始在外生活工作。

女兒在十二月中便取假提早回來。我把一切要做的事情完成，將工餘的時間完全騰出來，與她一起享受聖誕前的氣氛和採買所有過節的東西。

到兒子回來時，家就熱閙如常了。

The holidays have just finished, it was lovely but somehow different. We have lived in this house for over 20 years. This is the first winter that our children have " come home " for Christmas. They both finished their degrees in the summer, and are now living and working away from home.

Our daughter took early leave from work so she could return home sooner. I finished all the work I had to do and left my spare time free for us to spend together. We immersed ourselves wholeheartedly in the Christmas spirit, enjoying all the preparation and shopping together. 

And when our son was back, home was once again as noisy and crazy as the old days!    

女兒的男友范也來住了幾天。他從西班牙母親的家鄉給我們帶來好吃的手信。三個男人談足球時事，我和女兒下廚 ... 在家、款客、訪友、出外、看電影、上館子、散步、逛街、訪小鎮 ... 两週時間很快便過去了。

兒子先回曼城，我和丈夫昨天駕車送女兒和范回倫敦。

Our daughter's boyfriend F came to stay with us for a few days too. He brought with him homely food from his mother's home town in Spain for us as gifts. The three men chatted about footballs and things, daughter and I cooked meals together ... we had friends over for dinners, took walks, watched movies, dined out, did shopping, visited villages ... two weeks holidays very soon came to an end.

Our son has already gone back to Manchester and yesterday we drove daughter and F back to London.

女兒和我聯手做了一個梨子、小紅莓、白巧克力和合桃蛋糕作為我們除夕晚餐的飯後甜品。這個蛋糕的原意來自有天她和朋友在倫敦住處不遠的小咖啡室喝下午茶，吃了一片美味得很的梨子蛋糕。她鼓起勇氣請問老板娘蛋糕用的材料，回來後與我研究起來。

We made a  pear, cranberry, white chocolate and walnut cake for our New Year's eve dinner dessert. The idea came when our daughter had afternoon tea with her friend at a small coffee shop near where she lives one day, and had this piece of pear cake that she thought was incredible. She asked the lady for the ingredients they used. And when she was home, we worked together to create the recipe to make this.

結果是，這蛋糕真的是美味無比。吃時一口咬進軟滑在肉桂糖漿下的梨塊，和夾在蛋糕中香甜的白巧克力，紅莓乾；加上嘴嚼品嚐到小塊的酥脆合桃，混合起來就是多層的口感與品味，是少有愈吃愈愛的蛋糕之一。

The results is, this cake is so delicious it's quite unbelievable. On biting into the soft cinnamon icing covered pear slices, met with the sweet white chocolate and fruity dry cranberries in the centre of the cake, mixed with the crunchy walnut pieces; all added up to offer a multiple layer of enjoyable tasting experience. 

貴妃梨小紅莓白巧克力合桃蛋糕

材料：

• 室溫軟化無鹽牛油 220g 
• 黃幼砂糖 golden caster sugar 200g
• 中號蛋 4 隻碗內打勻
• 中筋麵粉( 自起粉 ) self raising flour 220g 
• 泡打粉 baking powder 1 茶匙
• 貴妃梨 conference pear 3 個去皮去心切長塊，擠進檸檬汁拌勻以免變啡色
• 小紅莓乾 100g
• 合桃  walnuts 80g 剁成碎粗粒
• 白巧克力150g 剁成碎粗粒
• 20 cm 圓徑可以鬆邊脫底烤盤 1 個 

Pear, Cranberry, White Chocolate and Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

• 220g room temperature unsalted butter 
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium size eggs beaten in a bowl
• 220g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 3 conference pear peeled, corded and sliced, squeezed over lemon juice and mixed well to stop the pears getting brown.
• 100g dried cranberries
• 80g walnuts roughly chopped
• 150g white chocolate roughly chopped
• A 20 cm diameter spring form baking tin

做法：

1. 糕盤底鋪紙塗油。大碗中置牛油和糖，用手提打蛋器攪拌至鬆軟淡奶色。
2. 預熱焗爐至 160C / 325F / Gas3。將蛋逐少加入牛油糖糊中去打勻，篩進中筋麵粉 (自起粉) 和泡打粉。倒入小紅莓乾，合桃和白巧克力，小心輕力全部拌勻。。
3. 將粉漿撥進烤盤內鋪平，把梨塊排上。放進焗爐內，烘 1 小時 15 分鐘左右，至用長竹籤剌進取出無黏物便成。
4. 蛋糕烘好取出放在網架上待涼。做流質的肉桂糖霜：用 200ml 的糖霜粉 icing sugar 和 1/2 茶匙肉桂粉混合倒進碗中，加 2 湯匙牛奶拌至光滑，待蛋糕涼後將糖漿掃在梨塊和蛋糕上部便成。
5. 用 2 湯匙杏果醬 apricot jam 加 1 茶匙熱水混合，從小篩擠進小碗內成為杏醬果液，待糖漿乾凝後，把果液塗掃在整個蛋糕的上下週圍增添光澤。

Method:

1. Lined and greased the base of the baking tin. In a large bowl, use a hand held mixer to beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale.
2. Preheat oven to 160C / 325F / Gas 3. Add the egg little by little into the butter sugar mixture, beat well. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the egg and butter mixture; fold in the cranberries, walnuts and white chocolate, gently combine everything together. 
3. Level the cake mixture in the baking tin, place the pear slices evenly on top. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. when insert a skewer into the cake and comes out clean, then it's ready.
4. Take the cake out from the tin when cool to touch, and leave it on the wire rack to cool completely. Proceed to make the liquid cinnamon icing. Put 200ml icing sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder in a bowl, add 2 tbsp milk to mix and form a smooth paste, brush onto the pear slices and on  top of the cake.
5. Make apricot glaze. Mix 2 tbsp apricot jam and 1 tsp hot water together and squeeze through a small mesh sieve into a small bowl. When the cinnamon icing on the pears are dry, brush the glaze on the pear slices and all over the cake to produce a lovely and glossy appearance. 

小小提示：

• 蛋糕入爐後半小時可在上面用錫紙蓋著以防烤得太深色。
• 因為要烘成 1 小時 15 分鐘頗長時間，和每個焗爐性能不同，我提議 1 小時後便要用竹籤剌進檢查，一沒黏物便成，不要烘過火，不然糕邊便會焦的呢。

A little reminder:

• Half an hour after the cake has been in the oven, you can place a piece of foil on top to prevent it becoming too burn.
• Because the baking time of 1 hour 15 minutes is quite long, and every oven performs differently. I suggest checking it after 1 hour, if inserting a skewer into the center of the cake and comes out clean, then it's ready, don't over bake it or the side will become too dark.