This cake came about because Buddy goes off certain types of fruit faster than a chocolate Moove left in a car in the middle of January. He loves bananas, he hates bananas. He loves apples, he hates apples. He loves pears, he hates pears. There is a banana cake on it’s way too.

It started out with the slowly deteriorating pears, cut up, a tablespoon or two of raw sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice and a large glug of spiced rum. Jiggled around and left overnight to infuse with the spiced rum, and for me to find some inspiration to decide what I was going to make with them.

I found this recipe from Goodfood.com.au and changed it a little to incorporate the rummy pears.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup raw sugar
• tsp vanilla essence
• Zest of one lemon
• 100g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup self-raising flour

Line and grease a 20cm springform cake pan

Put sugar, water and the spiced rum from the drained pears in a small saucepan and warm gently until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and cook until the liquid is a light caramel colour. Pour into the tin and swirl around to cover the base. Check to make sure none of the caramel is leaking out. Lay the pears out as unevenly as possible. See mine below.

Beat eggs with raw sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until doubled in size and pale-ish and fluffy.

Add the melted butter, slow mixer right down and add flour slowly. Don’t overmix the mix. Place spoonfuls of batter over the top of the pears and gently spread, so as not to disturb the pears

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is set in the centre. Remove from the oven and turn out on to a plate while the cake is still hot. Try and scrape any of the caramel off the baking paper, it’s the best bit.

Cut the cake while its still warm and serve with cream. Lightly rummy, vanillary and peary, just delightful. Thanks Buddy.