Ingredients
200g butter, softened
1 cup raw caster sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 cup almond meal
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
2 ripe beurre bosc pears
2 tsp raw caster sugar, extra
Butterscotch sauce
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
50g butter
1 cup pure cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Description
Step 1
Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced. Grease a 7cm-deep 20cm (base) cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and
sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition (mixture may curdle). Sift flour, baking powder and mixed spice over butter mixture.
Add almond meal and pecans. Fold until combined.
Step 2
Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Smooth top. Cut pears into quarters. Remove core and thinly slice each quarter, leaving stalk and top of pear intact. Arrange
over cake, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean (cover
with foil if over-browning). Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn, top-side up, onto a wire rack.
Step 3
Meanwhile, make Butterscotch sauce. Place sugar, butter, cream and vanilla in a pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Bring to
the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Serve cake with sauce.
