Pear & Honey Caramel Naked Cake

The sweet, earthy pear flavour in this rustic yet elegant cake is naturally enhanced by the honey. Be sure to use a good honey with a distinctive flavour.

CAKE

170g butter, softened

150g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large free-range eggs 290g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda Pinch of salt

240ml buttermilk

250g honey POACHED PEARS

170g honey

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon ground cardamom 4 cloves

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled

and crushed

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 cup water

5 small pears, peeled CARAMEL SAUCE

25g unsalted butter

100g honey

125ml cream

1 teaspoon salt MASCARPONE CREAM 500g mascarpone

300ml cream

¼ cup icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 175°C and line and butter 2 x 20cm cake tins.

Cake: Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, adding a little of the flour if the mixture appears to be curdling.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the remaining wet ingredients to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined and smooth.

Divide the batter equally between the prepared tins and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven, turn out onto a rack and leave to cool.

Poached pears: Place the honey, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, ginger, apple cider vinegar and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the pears and enough additional water to cover them. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. Remove the pears from the liquid using a slotted spoon and continue cooking the poaching liquid until it reduces and becomes a light syrup. Slice 2 of the poached pears thinly, removing the cores. Set aside.

Caramel sauce: Place the butter and honey in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cream and salt, whisk to combine, and cook the sauce for a further 5 minutes. Let the sauce cool for 5-10 minutes before using or refrigerate if making in advance.

Mascarpone cream: Use an electric whisk to whisk the ingredients together.

To assemble, place one of the cakes on a cake stand. Brush with some pear syrup, then layer with the sliced pears. Spread one-third of the mascarpone cream over the pears and sandwich with the second cake, pressing to flatten the filling slightly. Brush the second cake with syrup and spread one-third of the mascarpone cream on top, using some to lightly frost the side of the cake. Place the cake and the remaining mascarpone cream in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Spread the remaining chilled mascarpone cream over the chilled cake, removing any excess frosting from the sides and the top with a palette knife or cake scraper so it is barely covered and the cake shows through. Arrange the remaining poached pears on top of the cake before serving and drizzle with honey caramel sauce. Serves 12