Rhubarb, Pear & Pomegranate Custard Tea Cakes

Prep: -
Cook: 1hr + cooling
Servings: 8
Rhubarb, pear, pom tart

Beautiful and bright, these Rhubarb, Pear & Pomegranate Custard Tea Cakes are a fruity way to warm up your winter days.

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe small pear (180g), peeled, cored, sliced thinly
  • 4 thin stalks rhubarb (250g), trimmed
  • 1 medium pomegranate (320g)
  • 100g (3 ounces) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup (110g) CSR Caster Sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup (100g) White Wings Self-Raising Flour
  • 2 tablespoons custard powder
  • 2 tablespoons CSR Caster Sugar, extra
  • cinnamon custard
  • 1 tablespoon custard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons CSR Caster Sugar
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
  • 10g (1/2 ounce) butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Make cinnamon custard.
  2. Peel pear; core and thinly slice. Cut rhubarb lengthways into 1cm (1/2-inch) wide long strips; cut strips into 7cm (23/4-inch) lengths. Cut pomegranate in half crossways; hold one half over a bowl, tap the back with a wooden spoon to release seeds and juice. Strain seeds over a small jug; reserve seeds and juice separately. You need 1/4 cup (60ml) juice; make up any difference with water.
  3. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease an 8-hole (3/4-cup/180ml) mini loaf pan; line base and long sides of each pan hole with a strip of baking paper.
  4. Beat butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir in sifted flour and custard powder. Spoon mixture into pan holes, spreading to cover the base; there will only be a small amount of mixture. Top with cinnamon custard (about 3 teaspoons per hole), spreading carefully over cake mixture. Alternate pear and rhubarb slices upright on top of custard; sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
  5. Bake cakes for 25 minutes or until a cake springs back when pressed lightly with finger.
  6. Meanwhile, stir reserved pomegranate juice and extra sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil; boil for 5 minutes or until thick and syrupy.
  7. Stand cakes in pan for 5 minutes before lifting out onto plates. Brush top of warm cakes with warm syrup; serve cakes warm.

Cinnamon Custard 

  1. Blend custard powder, cinnamon and sugar with milk in a small saucepan; stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Cook, stirring, a further minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and extract. Transfer to a small bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Cool.
TIPS: DO-AHEAD The cakes are best made on day of serving.
TECHNIQUES: see ‘removing seeds from a pomegranate', page 276.