This has been a great year for foraging; I used locally picked wild blackberries and English Conference pears. You can substitute regular flour for a gluten free alternative and add xanthum gum (optional) with just as good results.
Cuts into 10-12 slices
Ingredients
For the cake
2 ripe pears, peeled and diced
150g blackberries (fresh or frozen)
150g golden caster sugar
140g softened butter
2 eggs
½ tsp baking powder (gluten free if required)
85g self-raising flour
100g ground almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the topping
25g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
40g flaked almonds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
23cm spring-form cake tin greased and lined
Oven 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C
How to make it
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
- Add the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and cinnamon, and mix gently until combined. Add a little milk if the mixture is a bit stiff.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.
- Spoon the diced pear over the surface of the cake and top with the blackberries.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the topping by putting the ingredients in a small pan over a low heat and melting the butter and syrup.
- After 25 minutes baking remove the cake from the oven and spoon over the topping mix.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C and return the cake for another 15-20 minutes, or until firm in the middle.
- Cool in the tin before transferring to a rack.
- Serve dusted with icing sugar, warm with cream or ice-cream as a pudding, or cold as a cake.
Note: This is a moist cake and quite fragile, and care needs to be taken when removing from the base of the cake tin, especially if it is being served slightly warm.
