torta di polenta con pere e miele
This cake requires long cooking in a slow oven.
for 10
1 kg pears
130 g polenta flour
50 g runny honey
350 g unsalted butter, plus extra for the tin
250 g caster sugar
4 large, organic free-range eggs
130 g whole blanched almonds, ground coarsely
40 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 2 washed lemons
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2. Line the base of a rectangular bread tin, about 30 cm long, with parchment paper, and butter this and the tin generously.
Peel the pears, cut out the cores and roughly dice the pears into 2 cm pieces. Melt 80 g of the butter in a non-stick saucepan, add the honey and caramelise briefly. Add the pears and just turn them over to coat and flavour.
Beat the remaining butter and the sugar together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one. Mix the ground almonds with the flours and the baking powder and add to the butter and egg mixture. Carefully fold in the warm pears and honey, along with the lemon zest. Gently spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 1–1¼ hours. The cake will be quite dark on top.