PEAR, PECAN AND CARAMEL LAYER CAKE

Preparation 40 minutes Cooking 25 minutes Serves 8-10 Caramel flavouring can be found in the baking aisles of supermarkets or ordered from lakeland.co.uk.

175g soft butter 175g light muscovado sugar 3 medium eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 175g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp milk 100g pecan halves, chopped

FOR THE PEAR FILLING

3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped zest and juice ½ small lemon 1 tbsp caster sugar

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

175g golden icing sugar

75g soft butter few drops caramel flavouring few drops milk

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Grease and line three 18cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Beat together the butter and muscovado sugar with an electric handbeater until fluffy and lighter in colour. Gradually beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the flour, baking powder and milk. Fold in the pecans. Turn into the prepared tins, smoothing the tops level with the back of a metal spoon. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and the edges of the cakes pull away from the tins. Set on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and leave to cool. Meanwhile, put the pears, lemon zest and juice and the caster sugar into a pan and simmer, covered, until the fruit has softened and broken down. Beat with a wooden spoon. (If the fruit is excessively juicy, strain it first, discarding the juice.) Leave to cool. To make the buttercream, beat together the icing sugar and butter with a few drops of caramel flavouring until it’s a soft, spreadable consistency. Add a drop or two of milk to loosen if necessary. To assemble, spread a layer with buttercream, then top with another cake layer. Spread the pear filling on top and then the final cake. Dust with icing sugar.