Ingredients

• Melted butter, to grease
• 175g butter, softened
• 2 just-ripe Beurre Bosc pears, peeled, cored, each pear cut into 8 wedges
• 300g (1 1/2 cups, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
• 60ml (1/4 cup) thin cream
• 60ml (1/4 cup) water
• 60g (1/3 cup) macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 eggs
• 75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
• 40g (1/4 cup) self-raising flour
• 55g (1/2 cup) almond meal
• 85g (1/3 cup) sour cream

Method

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 180C. Brush a round 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper.
• Step 2 Melt 20g of the butter in a large frying pan over high heat until foaming. Add half the pear, cut-side down, and cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pear. Arrange pear over the base of prepared pan.
• Step 3 Melt 25g of the remaining butter in the pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add 100g (1/2 cup) of the sugar and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until well combined. Add the cream and water and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Pour half the caramel sauce over the pear in the cake pan. Reserve the remaining caramel sauce. Sprinkle pear mixture with macadamia nuts.
• Step 4 Use an electric beater to beat together the ground ginger, remaining butter and remaining sugar in a medium bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until just combined. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the combined flours, almond meal and sour cream until just combined. Spoon over the pear mixture in the cake pan and smooth the surface.
• Step 5 Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly before turning onto a cake stand or serving platter.
• Step 6 Drizzle the cake with reserved caramel sauce. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.