Country Pear Cake

Melted butter, to grease
150g butter, at room temperature
270g caster sugar (1 ¼ cups)
2 eggs
225g plain flour (1 ½ cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder
60mls pear juice (1/4 cup)
3 packham pears, peeled, cored
55g walnuts (1/2 cup), chopped
65g sultanas (1/3 cup)
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 tablespoons honey

Pre heat oven to 170 degrees. Brush a 20cm cake tin with butter. Line the base and sides with baking paper.

Use an electric beater to beat together the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after addition.

Sift together the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture and gently fold until combined.

Add the pear juice and fold to combine.

Add the pear, walnuts, sultanas and mixed spice and stir to combine.

Spoon the mixture into prepared cake tin and smooth the surface.

Bake for 1 ¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Brush the cake with the honey and set aside in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.