Since it was Easter I thought I'd make something chocolatey to take to a morning tea visit. This is a
River Cottage recipe.
For the pears
- 4 just-ripe pears
- 35g butter
- 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
For the cake
- 100g ground almonds
- 100g self-raising flour
- 25g cocoa powder
- 150g butter, softened
- 150g caster sugar (I used 100g)
- 2 large free-range eggs
- A splash of milk
Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Butter a 20cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment.
Peel,
quarter and core the pears. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a
medium heat. Add the brown sugar and orange zest and stir until the
sugar has dissolved.
Add the pears and cook them gently for a few
minutes, turning frequently, until completely tender. Set aside. For the
cake, combine the ground almonds, flour and cocoa powder and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together with a handheld electric whisk or in a mixer for several minutes until very light and fluffy.
Beat
in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of the almond mix with
each. Fold in the remaining almond mix, with a large metal spoon or
spatula, then stir in a little milk to get a mixture with a soft
dropping consistency.
Spread this cake mixture in the prepared tin
and arrange the pears on top, finishing them off with any buttery,
sugary juices still in the pan.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or
until a skewer inserted into the centre of the sponge comes out clean.
Leave to cool slightly in the tin.