Erin FoxToffee apples are my favourite thing about Autumn, having gorged on them every Halloween when I was a child. And yet it doesn’t seem right to have them when Halloween is over. This sticky pear and butterscotch cake is inspired by a much-loved Halloween snack, and makes a delicious dessert for Autumn. It’s just the treat for anyone having toffee apple withdrawals!
For the cake:
- 225g butter slightly softened.
- 225g light muscovado sugar.
- 4 eggs.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- 225g self raising flour.
- 1 tsp bicarbonate soda.
- 180g pitted dates.
- 120ml water.
- 4 ripe pears.
- 1 loose-bottomed 8 inch cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment.
For the butterscotch sauce:
- 85g dark muscovado sugar.
- 60ml water.
- 150 ml double cream.
- 75g salted butter.
- 1 tsp golden syrup or liquid glucose.
- A pinch of salt.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees fan. Chop the dates and place in a bowl. Pour over the boiling water, cover with cling film and leave for 20 to 30 minutes. When the time is up, lightly blitz the date mixture with a hand blender. Chop the pears in half and then thinly slice each half. Cut the thin slices in half and leave to one side.
Sieve the flour and baking soda into a bowl, lifting the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing. Beat the butter and sugar together for five minutes until fluffy. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla.
Add two tablespoons of the flour to the sugar and butter mixture along with a little of the eggs. Beat together, and gradually pour in the rest of the eggs until fully incorporated. Fold in the rest of the flour, followed by the dates.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Layer the pear slices all around, overlapping each one. Repeat so that you have a double layer of pears.
Transfer the tin to the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a knife or wooden skewer emerges clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
While the cake is baking in the oven, start making the butterscotch sauce. Dissolve the sugar with the water in a heavy-based saucepan. Once it’s dissolved, bring to the boil and cook on a high heat for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cream, taking care to stand back as it can seize up. Return to a low heat and add the butter and golden syrup. Cook for five more minutes, stirring all the time.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for several minutes before transferring to a jug.
Pour the butterscotch sauce all over the cake while it’s still warm and eat right away with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also serve this cake cold.