Pear & Rosemary Cake

Pilferer's Pear & Rosemary Tea Cake

An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

For caramel pear

• 1/4 cup/50grams caster or superfine sugar

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1/2 - 1 pear, peeled and cored and thinly sliced. Apple will also do.

For Cake

• 230g/2 sticks softened butter

• 1 cup/200grams caster or superfine sugar

• 4 eggs, at room temperature

• 1.5 cups/210grams plain all purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons cornflour or cornstarch

• 3 teaspoons baking powder

• 1-2 stalks rosemary, needles only

• 1/4 cup/60ml milk, soured with a little lemon juice

• 1 pear, peeled and cored and diced

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Step 1 - Preheat oven to 170C/340F. Spray the base and sides of a 22 cm tin generously with non stick oil spray. Then in a small saucepan, add the sugar and water and heat on medium heat being careful not to stir-it will form a caramel sauce-just make sure to watch it so that it doesn't burn. Once this is done, pour it into the base of the prepared tin and fan with the pear pieces (being careful with your fingers as the caramel is hot). Set aside.

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Step 2 - In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Whizz the flour, baking powder and rosemary in a small food processor so that the rosemary is broken up into little pieces. Add half of the flour mixture and fold into the batter. Add the rest and then the milk to thin it and stir in the pear pieces.

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Step 3 - Pour it over the pear and caramel and bake this for about 60 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge. Rest for 5 minutes and then carefully upend onto a serving plate.

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