Pear, apple, brown sugar and maple syrup cake

People who like to cook and bake – myself included – get mad at recipes that do not work – I think it’s only natural to feel that way about something that involves time, ingredients ($$) and expectations. I get really angry sometimes, to the point of cursing like a character in a mafia movie. :D

But if the recipe works and the food tastes good, I’m OK with a couple of details that might be different from the recipe – the fruit on top of this cake, for instance, should have sunk into the batter while it baked in the oven, according to Nigel Slater; that did not happen, but it doesn’t matter – I actually think the cake looks nicer this way.

Pear, apple, brown sugar and maple syrup cake
slightly adapted from the absolutely beautiful Tender Volume II

Fruit mixture:
2 ripe pears
1 Granny Smith apple
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Cake:
100g unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup (50g) superfine sugar
1/3 cup (58g) light brown sugar, packed
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (50g) almond flour (ground almonds)
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter a 20cm (8in) round baking pan, line the base with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Peel, core and dice the pears and the apples – the pieces should be around 1cm each. Transfer the fruit to a large frying pan, add the butter and cinnamon and cook over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5-8 minutes. Pour in the maple syrup, let the mixture bubble up briefly, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and thick. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add the almond flour. In a small bowl, whisk lightly with a fork the eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the eggs mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Spoon the fruit mixture over the batter and bake for 40 minutes or until golden, risen and lightly firm and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack.

Serves 8-10