I know it’s not good to brag but this Pear Crumble Sheet Cake is AMAZING!
The cake base is sweet and custard-y, filled with pear slices and zesty lemon. The topping is crunchy, buttered toffee coated nuts, with cinnamon and white chocolate bits. The flavour reminds me of Hokey Pokey, yet much more intense!
The result is a delicious Pear Crumble Sheet Cake which has blown my mind!.
What is a sheet cake? Until a week or so ago I had no idea! I saw a story that said sheet cakes were going to be the next big thing, naturally I had to educate myself. A quick google search showed me that a sheet cake is simply what Australians call a slab cake.
It’s a cake which can be baked in a baking tray and then iced or topped whilst remaining in the tray.  This makes it simple to take as a “bring a plate” option.
With that hurdle out of the way I decided it was time to bake an elaborate, dessert style “sheet cake.”
I am not a fan of the pear and dark chocolate combination so I knew I had to make a white chocolate dessert for me.
Although the party didn’t go ahead I was committed to this dessert.
After a little bit of tinkering and imagination I managed to pull together these ingredients into a very original sheet cake recipe that I would be pleased to serve as a “bring a plate” option.
Pear Crumble Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake Base
- 185 gm butter
- grated zest from 1 lemon
- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup SR flour
- 1/2 cup custard powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 pear halves
Topping
- 200 gm walnuts
- 40 gm salted butter
- 2 Tbs caster sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 200 gm white chocolate bits
Instructions
Cake Base
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition.
- With the mixer on low add the lemon zest, then alternate between adding the flour, custard powder and milk.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray.
- Place the pears on the batter in an attractive pattern.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Topping
- While the cake is cooking prepare the topping.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
- Add the cinnamon and nuts, stir until combined.
- Add the sugar to the saucepan and stir until dissolved.
- The topping will start to form sticky clumps.
- Remove from the heat to cool slightly. Stir the nut mixture periodically to break up and large clumps.
Assembly
- When the cake is cooked remove it from the oven.
- Place 1/2 the white chocolate bits in the nut topping.
- Quickly spread the nut topping over the hot cake.
- Some of the chocolate will melt which helps bind the topping together and coat the cake.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate bits onto the cake.
- Leave the cake to cool.
- Serve.
My Pear Crumble Sheet Cake and the family are off to Nan’s house now. It’s her birthday and she has just turned 95!!
We will have a piece of cake and a cup of tea to celebrate with her. Â I hope she doesn’t mind the missing slice.