Caramelised pears, almonds and orange zest combine to make perfect, rustic winter cakes best enjoyed warm with lashings of thick yoghurt sprinkled with coconut sugar.
INGREDIENTS
2-3 firm but ripe pears
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Batter
100 grams butter, very soft but not melted
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 x #7 eggs (large)
100 grams ground almonds
½ cup desiccated coconut
⅓ cup gluten free plain flour or regular flour
pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
finely grated zest and juice 1 large orange
6 hole texas muffin tin, greased and base lined with a circle of baking paper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake
Pears: Cut the base off each pear then cut 1cm thick slices from each one. You may only need to use 2 pears if they are large but you do need the slices to fit into the base of each tin.
Melt the butter and sugar in a sauté pan and cook the pears until golden on both sides and just tender when pierced with a skewer. Place one slice in each tin.
Cake: Beat the butter until light and pale then beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until light and pale.
Combine all the dry ingredients together and gently beat into the butter mixture along with the orange zest and juice. Divide the batter between the tins then smooth the tops.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cakes feel firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Place a cooling rack over the top and invert both the tin and the rack together. Leave for a couple of minutes then lift off the tins. Makes 6 cakes.

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