FRUITY BAKES

Fresh fruit baked into a cake - perfect for a pudding or treat. What could be better?

Brown butter pear cake

This cake gets its nutty flavour by cooking the butter until the milk solids turn golden - it takes a bit longer but is worth it for the flavour. If you don't have time, just skip step 2 and add some vanilla or cinnamon to the sponge instead.

Serves 8 Prep 30 mins plus chilling and cooling Cook 50 mins VEGETARIAN

175g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin

3-4 Williams pears, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks

150g caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten

150g self-raising flour 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Melt 25g of the butter in a frying pan, then cook until browned and nutty. Add the pears and 1 tbsp of the sugar and cook for a few minutes, turning in the butter until caramelised and syrupy. Cool.

2 Melt the remaining butter in a pan and keep cooking until it turns golden and smells nutty. Pour into a bowl and chill, stirring now and again, until solid but still soft enough to beat.

3 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Butter and base-line a 20cm round, deep springform cake tin. Scoop the pears from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any syrup. Arrange in a single layer in the base of the tin (leftover pear can be eaten with the cake or with yogurt for breakfast).

4 Beat together the cooled brown butter and the remaining sugar until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then mix in the flour and baking powder. Fold in gently until combined, then spoon the mixture on top of the pears. Level the surface and bake for 30-35 mins or until springy to the touch.