Ingredients

• 250 g butter (at room temperature)
• 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup golden syrup
• 1 1/3 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 3 teaspoons mixed spice
• 2 pears (medium)
• icing sugar (to dust)
• vanilla custard (to serve)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan forced).

2. Grease and line a 30cm x 30cm (base measurement) slice pan with baking paper, extending paper at long sides for handles.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a small bowl until pale and creamed and then beat in eggs, one by one, until combined.

4. Stir in golden syrup, then transfer mixture to a large bowl and sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice over butter mixture and add 1/4 cup hot water, stirring until just combined and then spread mixture into prepared pan, smooth surface.

5. Peel, core and quarter pears and slice thinly and then arrange pear, overlapping slightly, over cake mixture in pan and then bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted at centre comes out clean.

6. Remove cake from oven, then stand in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Dust with icing sugar and serve with custard.