Madeira cakes with cream cheese icing and toffee pears

Babiche Martens

Cake

180 g	Butter, softened
¾ cup	Caster sugar
1	Lemon, zested
1 tsp	Vanilla extract
3	Eggs
1 ¼ cups	Self raising flour (Main)
½ cup	Ground almonds

Icing

2 Tbsp	Butter, softened
1 cup	Icing sugar, sifted
4 Tbsp	Cream cheese, softened
1 tsp	Lemon, zest

Pears

2 Tbsp	Butter
2 Tbsp	Caster sugar
2	Pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced (Main)

Directions

1. To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 180C. Grease 12-hole tins or use baking papers. Cream the butter and sugar until pale then add the vanilla and lemon.
2. Whisk the eggs and add a third at a time, alternating with the flour and ground almonds - folding together gently until the mixture is all combined.
3. Spoon into the moulds and bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
4. To make the icing, beat all the ingredients together until smooth, adding more lemon juice if necessary.
5. To cook the pears, heat a frying pan, add the butter and sugar. When bubbling, add the pear slices and cook for 1 minute on each side or until caramelised. Remove and place on greaseproof paper.
6. Ice the cakes generously then top with the pears, before serving with yoghurt or cream.