Serves 10 | Prep 30 mins
Cook 50 mins
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g white spelt fl our, sifted
3 large free-range eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pear (I like to use a Conference), peeled, cored and fi nely grated unrefined icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
For the marbled berry cream:
200g blackberries (or other dark berries)
300ml double cream or Greek-style
natural yogurt
2 tbsp maple syrup
Pear and cinnamon cake with early autumn berries
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and fl our a 24cm loosebottomed cake tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until pale and fl uffy with an electric hand mixer. Add 2–3 tablespoons of the fl our and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Continue to beat until you have a light, fluffy mixture (if it looks as if it’s curdling, add another tablespoon of flour). Fold in the rest of the fl our, the
baking powder and cinnamon. Then add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and pear, folding in gently until
thoroughly combined.
3. Scrape the mixture into your prepared tin, level the surface with the back of a spoon or a palette knife and bake in the oven for 40–50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin.
4. Meanwhile, make the marbled berry cream. Place the berries in a sieve over a medium bowl and use a spatula or the back of a spoon to press the berries through the sieve (it will take a few minutes) then discard the seeds that remain. If using cream, pour it into a separate bowl and whip until it forms very soft peaks, taking care not to overwhip. Add the berry purée and maple syrup and fold through very carefully to create a marbled effect. If using Greek-style natural yogurt, simply stir the berry purée and maple syrup gently through the yogurt. Serve with the cake.