Across Scandinavia in December you will likely be offered a saffron-flavoured Lucia bun in honour of the Feast of St Lucia. We also make this beautiful, light saffron cake with pears – it’s a perfect autumn and winter cake with warm flavours.
Course: Baking
Cuisine: Scandinavian
Keyword: cakes
Servings: 10
Author: Bronte Aurell
Ingredients
30gbreadcrumbs
50gbutter
100mlwhole milk
½gground saffron
2largepearsor 3 small
a little lemon juice
325gcaster sugar
4eggs
300gplain flour
2tspbaking powder
1tspvanilla extract
½tspof salt
50gGreek yoghurt
icing sugarfor dusting
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
Grease a 25cm bundt pan or ring pan and dust it with the breadcrumbs, tipping out the excess.
Melt the butter and add the milk and ground saffron. Stir to combine and set aside to infuse.
Peel and core the pears and cut into bite-sized chunks. Add a dash of lemon juice, stir and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until thick, light and fluffy using a balloon whisk or a hand-held electric whisk.
Mix the remaining dry ingredients together and sift into the egg mixture. Fold in until incorporated.
Add the Greek yoghurt and saffron-milk mixture and fold gently until completely combined.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Add the pieces of pear – these will sink down during baking.
Bake for around 30–35 minutes in the preheated oven or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the pan before turning out onto a serving tray. Dust with icing sugar and serve, sliced, with a good dollop of whipped cream.