A wonderfully soft and airy cake topped with crunchy flaked almonds. I used pears, but you can easily make it with apples instead. A true early autumn cake!
Ingredients
• 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 175g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 250g self-raising flour
• 2 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
• 150g blackberries
• Flaked almonds, for sprinkling on top
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 23cm springform tin with baking paper.
Mix the sugar into the softened butter and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Fold the self-raising flour into the mixture, then gently stir in the blackberries.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and press the pear slices into the top of the batter in a circular, fan-like pattern.
Sprinkle the cake with flaked almonds and bake for around 50–60 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. To check if the cake is done, insert a fork or skewer – if it comes out clean, with no wet batter, the cake is ready.
Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing the springform ring.
