Ingredients
200g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 free-range eggs
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 beurre bosc pear, thinly sliced, plus extra, thinly sliced, to serve
Double cream and honey, to serve
CRUMBLE TOPPING
2 Tbsp plain flour, sifted
25g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp natural sliced almonds
Method
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Preheat oven to 160°C fan- forced (180°C conventional). Grease a 20cm round springform cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
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Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Add flour, cinnamon and milk. Beat until just combined.
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Spoon mixture into pan and level top. Arrange sliced pear on top of cake (see Cook’s tip, above right).
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For Crumble, put flour, butter and sugar in a small bowl; rub together with your fingers to roughly combine. Add almonds, mixing to form lumps of mixture. Sprinkle in and around pear. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until top is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre and comes out clean. Stand in pan for 15 minutes.
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Serve cake warm or cold with cream, topped with extra pear slices and drizzled with honey.
COOK'S TIP
Avoid putting too much pear in the centre of the cake as it will weigh it down too much and sink it a little.
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