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This Dandelion & Burdock Poached Pear Cake will rush you back to your childhood with it's classic dandelion and burdock flavour. The pears have been poached in Hooper's Alcoholic Dandelion & Burdock, and they sit atop a beautifully dark golden spiced cake with treacle and warming spices like cinnamon and ginger. This is a simple cake that needs no decoration - the pears do all the work and look so pretty on top. It's a perfect winter warmer, and is packed full of flavour!

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What is Dandelion & Burdock?

Dandelion & Burdock (D&B) is a drink of British origin, it was traditionally made by fermenting dandelions and burdock thistle roots, which is how it got it's name. It was originally an alcoholic drink, but now most variants available are soft drinks. However, Hooper's Dandelion & Burdock is bringing this retro drink back to it's roots and is a modern alcoholic version of the beverage. D&B has a unique taste, and for many Brits it reminds us of our childhoods and our heritage. Now as grown ups, we can enjoy the deliciously fruity and lightly spiced aniseed flavour of Hooper's Alcoholic Dandelion & Burdock! You can buy it online here, or at Morrison's, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Home Bargains and B&M. Plus they have two other fabulously retro flavours - rhubarb & custard, and cherryade.

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter, yoghurt and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used a baking spread for the cake, but you can use softened unsalted butter too.
Instead of the blend of spices I have used in the cake, you can use 2 ½ tsp mixed spice instead.
I really recommend using dark brown sugar if you can, as it gives the cake a lovely caramel flavour and a golden colour. But if you can't get hold of it, you can use light brown soft sugar or regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
I used a melon baller to core the pears, but a teaspoon will work well too.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Dandelion & Burdock Poached Pear Cake

Prepare the poaching liquid and warm it up in a pan on a medium heat. Peel, core and half the pears. Add them to the poaching liquid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pears are soft and a sharp knife inserted into them meets no resistance. Remove the pears and set them on a plate to cool. Heat the poaching liquid up to a gentle boil, reduce it for 20-30 minutes then put into a bowl and leave to cool and thicken. To make the cake, mix together the butter and dark brown sugar.

Add the eggs, black treacle and natural yoghurt and mix in. Then gently mix in the plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg.

Add the cake batter to a greased 8" tin with deep sides (at least 2"). Slice the pears and arrange them on top. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, check on it regularly as all ovens are different. It is done when a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool fully.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

What are the best kind of pears to use?

I used Conference pears, which are very commonly available in the UK. Comice or Williams are also good choices. You don't want the pears to be over ripe, as they will be too soft and could disintegrate during the poaching process. Pears that are slightly under ripe, or just about ripe, are perfect for poaching.

Is this recipe suitable for children?

While the Hooper's Dandelion & Burdock I used for this recipe is alcoholic, and is not suitable for children straight from the bottle, once the pears have been poached in it and then baked in the oven, and the remaining poaching liquid has been reduced, most of the alcohol content will have been cooked off. A slice of this cake will certainly not make you drunk, but it's your decision if you want to share this cake with your children - you may want to keep it all to yourself!

Can this cake be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free yoghurt for the cake. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make this recipe if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can this cake be made in a different sized tin?

Yes! If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe. You will also need more or less pears depending on the size difference.

How long does this cake last and can it be frozen?

The cake should be stored in an airtight container in a cool place and will last for 3 days. You can also freeze the cake. Once it is fully cool, wrap it well with cling film or put it in an airtight container, then freeze for up to 3 months. You can also cut it up and freeze it in slices.

What if the syrup is too thin?

The syrup is made by reducing the Dandelion & Burdock poaching liquid to a thick, yet pourable, syrup. Reducing is the process of boiling a liquid until it's consistency thickens and the flavour intensifies. It took around 25 minutes to create the right consistency when I made it, however the timing may lessen or increase depending on the temperature you boil it at. If the syrup has completely cooled, but is still too watery, just pop it back in the pan and re-boil it for another 5-10 minutes.

More tips for making the Dandelion & Burdock Poached Pear Cake:

If you like you can dust the cake with icing sugar on top for a pretty festive effect!
This cake is lovely served with the dandelion and burdock syrup, as well as some ice cream, pouring cream or custard.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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