From Our Kitchen Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake

You will need a 23cm (9 inch) spring form loose bottomed cake tin base greased and lined with baking paper.

Ingredients

3 Conference Pears – medium size and medium ripe
6 star anise
200g Soft butter or margarine
100g Caster sugar
100g Dark brown soft sugar
4 eggs
160g Ground Almonds
100g Self Raising flour or Gluten free self raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp Plain Yoghurt

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees c (fan)

Start by preparing the pears.

Remove the skins then cut off the stalk and the bud at the base of each pear. Cut each of the three pears in half lengthwise then use an apple corer to carefully take out the six small cores. In the hole remaining push in a star anise. Arrange the pears cut side down into the prepared tin and set aside.

In a roomy mixing bowl place all of the cake ingredients and use an electric whisk to mix well together. Transfer the mixture to the tin and cover the pears. Smooth off with an angled palette knife or the back of a spoon.

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 75 minutes until the cake is well risen and the centre feels firm to the touch.

Place the tin on a cooling rack and leave until the tin feels just warm.

Turn out onto a presentation plate or cake stand, or pop into your Large Styleware bowl for easy transportation. Make sure to remove the baking paper and serve!

Serve warm with a blob of crème fraiche.