Simple Madeira cake with caramelised pears

1. Prepare the pears first, as the cake batter should not sit around (it could become dense and fail to rise). 
2. Peel, core and cut 8 ripe pears into eights. 
3. Melt 100 g butter in a saucepan and allow it to foam slightly before adding 3–4 T brown sugar. Add the pears and coat evenly. Allow to brown but don’t overcook, as you want to keep their shape and texture for the cake. 
4. Set aside and allow the pears to cool while you make the cake batter. 
5. Preheat the oven to 160C. 
6. In a mixing bowl, combine 300 g softened butter, 4 free range eggs and ½ cup of milk. 
7. Add the contents of two boxes of Woolworths Madeira cake mix and stir to combine, followed by the zest of 2 lemons. 
8. Arrange half of the pears in the base of a lined 24 cm springform tin in an even layer. (The remaining pears will be used to serve). 
9. Pour the cake batter over the pears and smooth out the top. Bake for 60–70 minutes until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a plate. 
10. Serve warm like a steamed pudding, with more pears on top and a generous drizzle of Woolworths Caramel Sauce – or a scoop of yoghurt or crème fraîche. 

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