Pear, hazelnut & chocolate cake
Moist, fruity pear, hazelnut and chocolate cake - try it warm with cream as a teatime treat
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Top and tail the pineapple, then use a serrated knife to cut away the skin. Cut the flesh into eight wedges and remove the central core from each wedge. Slice the pineapple into small pieces about the thickness of a £1 coin, then roast on a baking tray for 20 mins until drier and golden. Leave to cool.
Rub 1 tbsp of the butter around the inside of a 25cm bundt tin. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp flour, then turn the pan on its side and roll it, tapping gently, to move the flour around and coat the butter. Tap out any excess.
Mix the milk with the passion fruit and set aside for a few mins – the acidity of the juice will sour the milk a little. With electric beaters, beat together the rest of the butter and the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the flour, milk and passion fruit mixture, eggs, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt. Beat briefly until creamy and smooth, then fold in the pineapple pieces. Spoon the mix into the tin and level the top.
Bake the bundt for 50-55 mins until risen, golden and a skewer inserted into the deepest part of the cake comes out clean. Sit the tin on a cooling rack until the cake is barely warm.
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, then make a well in the middle and slowly mix in the passion fruit and milk to make a smooth, flowing glaze. Turn the cake onto a plate, brush with the glaze and leave to cool and set.