Cakes Recipes - Pear and Cardamom Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 115g butter

• 115g caster sugar

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 225g plain flour

• 15ml baking powder

• 30ml milk

• crushed seeds from 2 cardamom pods

• 50g walnuts, chopped

• 15ml poppy seeds

• 500g dessert pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

• 3 walnut halves, to decorate

• clear honey, to glaze

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C/350"F/Gas 4. Grease and base­line a 20cm/8in round, loose-based cake tin.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and light. Gradually beat in the eggs. Sift over the flour and baking powder and fold in with the milk.

3. Stir in the cardamom seeds, chopped nuts and poppy seeds. Reserve one-third of the pear slices, and chop the rest. Fold into the creamed mixture.

4. Transfer to the cake tin. Smooth the surface, making a small dip in the centre. Place the walnut halves in the centre of the cake and fan the reserved pear slices around the walnuts, covering the cake mixture. Bake for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2  hours, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and brush with the honey. Leave in the tin for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.