Spiced pear cake with brown butter buttercream and salted caramel drip, autumnal cake perfection! 

This spiced pear cake with brown butter buttercream is absolute autumnal cake perfection! Filled with rich brown butter buttercream and drizzled with a salted caramel it provides the perfect balance of rich sweet flavour and autumnal nuttiness. The salted caramel drizzle adds a savoury, salty sweet flavour and the walnuts in the cake lift the texture to add an extra layer of crunch and bite. Pear and walnut have always been a winning combination and this cake is no exception! The pears have been lovingly poached in apple cider and star anise to perfectly compliment the pear in the cake.

Easiest fudge recipe ever!

When I worked for a restaurant group in Sydney around Christmas the chefs made hundreds of boxes of fudge to give to customers, staff and suppliers as Christmas gifts. When everyone they could think of had received a box, us lucky guys in the office got to take home the left overs, and let me tell you it was the best thing I have ever tasted! It was salted all butter fudge with a kind of herb sprinkled on top and for the life of me for a long time I couldn’t work out what this herb was but it really made the fudge amazing.

After a lot of experimenting and frustrating days spent slaving over a hob I came to the conclusion that this secret ingredient was Thyme. The simple addition of this herb to the fudge really makes a different, its beautifully aromatic and it gives the fudge a depth of flavour and a quirkiness that you’re not expecting.

Now I haven’t ever been able to recreate exactly the same fudge, I am not by any means a world class chef but I have taken inspiration from their genius and incorporated this idea into my own easier fudge recipe. The basis of the recipe is from Carnation just because its the easiest way to make fudge I have ever found. But it has had my own little spin on it .

I love fudge, it seems to be the quintessential British gift when you go on holiday, it certainly beats a stick of rock. And these are so perfect to just pop in a cute tin or a plastic bag with a bow and gift to friends at Christmas or as a cute wedding favour.

Ingredients 

1. 397g tin of condensed milk
2. 100ml milk
3. 450g demerara sugar
4. 115g butter
5. 1/2 tbsp salt
6. 1tbsp  fresh or dried thyme

Keep aside to sprinkle on top of the fudge – a pinch of salt and thyme.

Method 

1. Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
2. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring. And stirring … and stirring. Seriously, find a 15 minute long Youtube video and watch it whilst stirring you’re in it for the long haul. The stirring is non negotiable.
3. After 10 minutes you need to check to see if its ready. Go grab a glass of cold water and put a drop of the fudge in the water. Its ready when the drop forms into a little ball of fudge.
4. If it doesn’t, keep simmering and stirring and test it again … and again … and again. All good things come to those who wait.
5. Take the fudge from the heat and beat it with a wooden spoon until its thick and creamy and just beginning to set.
6. Transfer to a lined, greased square baking pan sprinkle with a pinch of salt and thyme and leave to set in the fridge until its completely cooled.
7. Remove from the pan, cut into squares and serve.

And there you have it, the perfect edible gift or easy to make treat. If you try it let me know how your fudge turns out by tagging @whatseatingmanchester in your social media post!