Pear, almond & semolina cake

Try this recipe over the weekend - I just made it up and I think it's worth sharing (I'm on to my second slice!). It's getting cold, so this is the perfect thing to make the house feel warm & cosy.

Pear, almond & semolina cake

200g butter

1 cup brown sugar

zest of 1 lemon

3 eggs

vanilla essence

250g almond meal

250g semolina

2 tsp baking powder

2 pears

Cream butter & sugar with lemon zest until creamy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one.

Fold in essence, almond meal, semolina & baking powder.

Place mixture into a large-ish cake tin (lined with baking paper) & spread out evenly.

Quarter and core pears (don’t peel).

Slice each quarter into 4, lengthways.

Place the slices of pear, skin side up, into the dough, fairly close together so that you fit all or most of them in. Push them down a bit so they don’t pop up.

Sprinkle the pears with ground nutmeg, cardamom and allspice.

Bake at 170 for about an hour or until it’s done (careful not to let it dry out too much).

Let it sit in the tin for 5-10 min after you take it out of the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with yoghurt or double cream.

Makes a crumbly, moist, rich buttery perfect Autumn cake!