The whole is not always greater than the sum of the parts
By Fleur
@Fleura (29218)
United Kingdom
April 22, 2024 5:48am CST
I have been working my way through a pile of old ‘Good Food’ magazines I was given, and trying out a few new recipes. I found one for ‘pear and mincemeat crumble cake’ and thought I would give it a try – we still had a jar of mincemeat in the cupboard, pears are cheap right now, and everything else was in stock. I thought it would be a hit because in the past we have made both mincemeat cake, which we like a lot, and also pear and cardamom upside-down cake, which is amazing, so it ought to be a success, right?
Well I went ahead and made it – here it is. And it was nice, but not as nice as either pear cake or mincemeat cake. The flavour of the mincemeat rather overpowered the delicate pear flavour too. So it was a lesson in the fact that if you put two things that you like together, you are not always guaranteed to get something even better – sometimes less is more, as it were.
Have you tried combinations that didn’t turn out as well as you hoped?
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2024.
17 people like this
14 responses
That's not for you either then! What's your favourite cake?
@AmbiePam (85677)
• United States
22 Apr
Well, when I was seven I thought my mom was working too hard, so when she got home from work one day, I had jello with peanuts in it waiting for her. Bless her heart, she ate it. Another time I made her pickles in peanut butter, and she ate that too. 
2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (6118)
• United Kingdom
23 Apr
I tell you what’s a nice combination - tin of pears and tin of custard. I usually put the pears in a dish first and then cover them in the custard. Sometimes, just to ‘zhuzh’ it up, I put the custard in first. Bish, bash, bosh. 
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (6118)
• United Kingdom
23 Apr
I thought you’d at least make mincemeat of my reply! 
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29218)
• United Kingdom
23 Apr
@Orson_Kart You don't mince your words do you? Are you trying to spice things up around here?
@sabtraversa (13004)
• Italy
23 Apr
I think pear and chocolate is similar, chocolate might take over the pear flavo(u)r.
However, I think the purpose of pear in that case is to give a different texture and perhaps make the cake "healthier", so it's alright somehow, would make again. 
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326093)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Apr
You have to try these things sometimes before you know if you'll like them or not. I've donated a couple more recipe books. I went through and copied out about one recipe from each book. Everything else had ingredients I'd never use or they were incredibly complicated.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (157044)
• United States
23 Apr
What is mincemeat exactly? Sounds like it would have a very strong flavor. I'm sorry the cake was a disappointment. I haven't tried any weird combinations. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (157044)
• United States
24 Apr
@Fleura Thanks. I think I would like it except for the suet.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (98942)
• India
23 Apr
I only make sponge cakes and chocolate cakes. I did not know you all make mincemeat cakes, and pear cakes. My sponge cakes come out good. Chocolate cakes ok...I find it bitter. I have to try strawberry cakes. In due course. Dad does not like cauliflower plus potatoes, brinjals plus potatoes, capsicum plus potatoes. Even beans and carrot combination. I tell him, you get vitamins from both so you should eat. He likes lentils with leafy vegetables very much. He says I cook that very well.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16544)
• China
23 Apr
There is no recipe that is to everybody's taste.The best is the one that is to your taste.
1 person likes this
