Pear cakes with curled marzipan leaves

Name: Pear cakes with curled marzipan leaves
Ingredients: sifted icing (confectioners’) sugar; 75 g/3 oz/6 tbsp butter, melted; 5 ml/1 tsp finely grated lemon rind; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 150 g/5 oz/¾ cup golden caster (superfine) sugar; orange food colouring; 50 g/2 oz marzipan; 20 pecan nuts, lightly crushed; 300 ml/½ pint/1¼ cups sour cream; 40 g/1½ oz/3 tbsp butter; 15 ml/1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar; 3–4 small ripe pears; 15 ml/1 tbsp baking powder; 10 ml/2 tsp mixed (apple pie) spice; 45 ml/3 tbsp water; 225 g/8 oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

Preparation info

Makes
6–7
large cakes

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cakes

By Ann Nicol

Published 2014

About

The glorious shapes and colours of fallen leaves inspired the decoration for these delicious cakes made with caramelized autumn fruit. If you prefer to make standard-sized cupcakes, cut the pears into chunks instead of halves.

Ingredients

3–4 small ripe pears
40 g/1½ oz/3 tbsp

Cake
Vegetarian

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Grease 6–7 10cm/4in-diameter muffin tins (pans) or line with mini panettone paper cases.
Peel and cut the pears into halves lengthways. Remove the cores but leave the short stems on the fruit if possible.