Caramelised Pear Cake

I love days off where you have no where to be. You don't have to go anywhere, you don't have to do anything.......you don't even have to leave the house if you don't want to. Its bliss. Today I spent the day clean up and recovering from a small dinner party (the ratio of wine to person was way too big) with a couple of close friends. We spent the night talking, eating and drinking mulled wine, and it was so lovely to have some quality time with people who really care......about anything, and everything. I feel that this does not go on enough these days.....and everyone is encouraged not to bother caring, not to bother loving, not to bother growing a garden......and in general to just not bother about anything.

I think it can be hard to care, because when we care it hurts.

I was thinking about different ways of caring today, and how people express them. My lovely friends last night, talk so much when they care (which I love.) They get sad, they get angry and they get passionate. When I care, my very first instinct is to bake. I know that sounds strange, but when something sad happens to someone I love, the first thing I thing is "I'll make them a cake." I know logically this doesn't solve any issues or problems....but its my little way of showing I care.

So I'll post a pear and caramel cake recipe.......because, really I DO care a lot.

The other things that have been going on in my life are lots breakfasts with my housemate. She thinks living with me is like having moved into a cafe........which makes me laugh.

I also went to the football the other day.....I'm not really sure why because I don't like the football one bit, but it was kind of ok. I had set my expectation on what it would be like very very low, so when I went (and had some cider) it was surprisingly better than what I thought.

I have been doing lots of organic food shopping at the markets.......its bliss. The house is always full of fresh herbs, vegetables and kale. Its sooo lovely.

Anyway, enough of me..........here is a cake recipe for you. Its delicious. I'm sorry there is no photo of it. We ate the cake before I got the chance, so that will just have to stand as testament to how good it was. The recipe is from a book called 'The Good Life,' but I changed it a little bit. I totally recommend checking it out.

Caramelised pear Cake

You will need:

• 2 pears cut into small dice
• 2 tsp of vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp of cinnamon 
• 120 g caster sugar
• 1 tbs of baking powder
• 140g of melted butter
• 160g plain flour

Caramelised pears

• 120g unsalted butter
• 400g caster sugar
• 5 pears, peeled, cored and quartered

What to do:

• Preheat your oven to 160
• Oil and line a cake tin with baking paper
• To make the caramel melt the butter in a pot, add the sugar and stir on a low heat until all the sugar is dissolved. 
• Turn the caramel to high and cook without stirring until it reaches a golden caramel colour.
• Add the pear quarters (the juice from the pears will stop the caramel from cooking too much) Cook in the pan for 10 minutes tossing ever so often.
• Remove the pears from the pan and layer on the bottom of the tin so it makes a nice pattern. Reserve the remaining caramel.
• To make the cake whisk together the sugar and eggs with an electric beater until thick and pale.
• Sift in the baking powder, flour and cinnamon. Fold together carefully.
• Drizzle in the butter and fold together.
• Add the pear that has been diced and fold together.
• Tip mix onto of the pears in the tin and flatten with an offset spatular.
• Pour in the remaining caramel
• Bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling wrack or plate.