Makes 1 large loaf

125g butter, at room temperature

1 cup caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 cups self-raising flour

½ cup milk

2 (525g) pears, peeled, cored, quartered and thinly sliced

125g punnet fresh raspberries

1 Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line 
a 20cm x 9.5cm x 7cm-deep (6 cup capacity) loaf pan with baking paper. Using an electric beater, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour over mixture. Add milk, pear and raspberries. 
Using a large metal spoon, gently stir until combined.

2 Spoon mixture into prepared pan and smooth top with the back of a wet spoon. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until bread is cooked through when tested in the centre with a skewer.

Stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve.

BANANA BREAD

If you’d rather serve banana bread, make loaf using brown sugar instead of caster sugar. When adding flour, add 1 tsp cinnamon and 
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda. Replace pear and raspberries with 3 ripe bananas (500g), peeled and mashed. Cook for 1 hour to 
1 hour 10 minutes or until cooked through.

For Dixie’s cooking advice head to the Ask the Chef page.