Grease a 23cm Spring Form pan and then line with baking paper on the bottom and sides and then grease the inside again.

Caramel

In a deep sided frypan, add the butter and sugar for the caramel and dissolve over medium heat, stirring all the time. Allow the mixture once dissolved to come to the boil, bubbly and becoming frothy as it does and then cook until it starts to turn a golden colour. Remove from heat as soon as it does to prevent it from burning and allow the bubbles to subside before pouring it all in the bottom of the lined spring form pan. Place the sliced pears on top of the caramel mixture in a single layer, overlapping the edges of the pears.

Cake

Preheat the oven to 180C

In a stand mixer bowl, cream the cake butter and castor sugar together until light and creamy. The lighter in colour it is, the better you cake will be.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the yoghurt and vanilla and mix well again. Sift the flour with the baking powder and now finally add that a little at a time to the mixture and blend gently. Don’t over mix.

Pour the mixture over the caramel pear layer and spread evenly making sure you don’t dislodge any pear.

Place the filled spring form pan onto a lined baking tray and place the tray into the oven and cook for 50 – 60mins. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cake to sit for ten minutes. Place a serving plate over the top of the pan and then upend the pan being careful to not let it slide off the plate.

Remove the spring form pan and baking paper, being careful not to dislodge any pear slices in the process. 

Some caramel will ooze out of the bottom of the pan while cooking. You can catch this syrup to pour on top of the cake once upended onto a serving plate.

Serve warm with copious amounts of heavy cream. Store in the fridge. Even better the next day.

By: Chrissy Rob