Upside-down plum cake with honeyed pears

Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Rub 25g of the butter on base of a lined 22cm cake tin. Arrange plum slices in an overlapping pattern. Set aside.

Beat remaining butter with sugar until light, then beat in eggs one at a time. If mixture looks curdled, it has split. Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and beat until mixture comes back together.

Whisk milk and rum together. Sift flours, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and bay together. Fold gently into butter mixture, alternating between each. Peel and grate 2 of the pears, fold in, then spoon onto plums.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer can be inserted and removed cleanly. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool.

Peel, core and slice remaining pears. Heat half of the honey in a saucepan on high until caramelised. Add lemon and peppercorns, cook for 5 minutes, then add remaining honey and simmer for 1 minute. Strain onto pears and mix well. Serve cake with pears, sour cream and pistachios.