Pear and honey cake

Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope you had wonderful holidays with your loved ones, with lots of good food. I thought the first post of the year should be something simple yet delicious, and golden, as I hope 2010 will be.

Pear and honey cake
from Donna Hay magazine

3 pears (600g), cut in half, then each half into four wedges, seeds removed
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (116g) light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; generously butter a deep 23cm (9in) fluted flan/tart pan with a removable bottom.
Combine the pears, honey and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until the pears are just tender. Drain the pears, reserving the poaching liquid.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg over the butter mixture, beat in slow speed just to incorporate then fold through the milk.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the pears on top. Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer – you might want to check the cake after 40 minutes.
Carefully remove the cake from the pan while still warm, spoon over the reserved poaching liquid and serve immediately.

Serves 8