Carrot, pear & pecan cake

Prep 25 mins | Cook 1 hr 15 mins | Serves 8

2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1½ cups soft brown sugar
200g (about 2) carrots, grated
100g pecan nuts, finely chopped
3 free-range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rice bran oil
2 just-ripe Beurre Bosc pears
2 tsp caster sugar

Step 1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line a 22cm (base measurement) spring-form pan with baking paper.

Step 2 Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir in sugar, carrots and pecan nuts. Set aside.

Step 3 Using electric hand beaters, whisk eggs, vanilla and oil in a bowl for 2-3 minutes until thick. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add egg mixture. Using a large metal spoon, mix until just combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan and smooth top.

Step 4 Quarter pears lengthways and remove cores. Thinly slice pears lengthways. Arrange pears over cake mixture. Sprinkle with raw caster sugar. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes then turn cake pear side-up onto a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve.

Good for you ... Carrots

The old saying that carrots help you see in the dark is due to their high content of beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A and uses for normal vision.

A good source of vitamin C, one of the vitamins needed for the normal functioning of the immune system.

Provide dietary fibre, whether raw or cooked. Dietary fibre helps keep the intestine healthy.