31st October Make a Pear and Almond cake

The Pear:

The pear symbolizes the fruit of Our Ladys womb.

Almond:

The Almond is a symbol of Divine favour, taken from Numbers, Chapter 18, verses 1-8, prefiguring Our Lady.

This lovely almond and pear cake a lovely way to celebrate the end of October and all the graces that have been bestowed upon us during the month.

It is truly delicious.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 200g/7oz self-raising flour

• 200g/7oz caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the topping

• 200g/7oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

• 4 free-range eggs

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 tbsp full-fat milk

• 3 pears (we used Conference), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

• 3 tbsp flaked almonds

• icing sugar, for dusting

For the Chantilly cream (optional)

• 250ml/9fl oz double cream

• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted

• 1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways and seeds scraped

Method

1. Grease and line the base of a 20cm/8in springform tin with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

2. Put the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and milk in a large bowl and whisk until creamy and smooth. Transfer to the prepared cake tin and arrange the sliced pears on top in a circular design, arranging them snugly to fit. Sprinkle the flaked almonds and a tablespoon of caster sugar on top.

3. Bake for 55 minutes–1 hour. The cake is ready when it is golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for around 30 minutes.

4. For the Chantilly cream (if making), whisk together the cream, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a large bowl using an electric hand whisk until thickened and soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.

5. Remove the cake from the tin, transfer to serving plate and dust with a little icing sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of Chantilly cream (if using).