Gluten-Free Pear and Raspberry Cake

Simple to make and delicious to eat, this lovely cake is moist and full of flavour owing to the large amount of fruit that it contains. Put simply, this is my kind of cake! Enjoy it with a pot of tea or coffee or as a dessert with a dollop of cream and some fresh raspberries. 

Ingredients

• 150 g butter at room temperature
• 150 g superfine/caster sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 65 g gluten-free plain/all purpose flour use regular flour if GF isn’t required
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder use GF if required
• 125 g almond meal
• 2 medium-sized pears peeled, cored and chopped (ensure not too ripe *)
• 125 g raspberries fresh or frozen, divided
• 1/4 cup flaked almonds
• icing/confectioners’ sugar for dusting
• to serve: whipped cream and fresh raspberries optional

Instructions

1. Grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm spring-form tin.

   Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.
   
2. Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
   
3. Beat the butter and sugar until it is thick and pale.
   
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla with the last egg. The mixture may appear to separate but it will come together with the addition of the flour and almond meal.
   
5. Sift the flour and baking powder together.
   
6. With the mixer on the lowest speed, gently add the flour, baking powder and almond meal.
   
7. Remove the bowl and, using a rubber spatula or large metal spoon, gently fold in the pear and most of the berries.
   
8. Spread the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
   
9. Place the remaining berries randomly on the top of the cake batter and sprinkle with the flaked almonds.
   
10. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

    Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
    
11. Remove the sides of the cake tin and finish cooling on a wire rack.

    When the cake is completely cool, carefully remove the base of the tin and the baking paper and transfer to a serving platter.
    
12. Dust with icing sugar.

    Serve with lightly whipped cream and berries – optional.
    

Recipe Notes

*The pears need to be just ripe. If they are very ripe they will release a lot of moisture into the cake.
*Save a few raspberries for the top of the cake batter.

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