In honour of Valentine’s Day, CPL Hope Island whipped up a romantic dessert for Cooking Corner - and it’s sure to melt your heart. Check out this month’s recipe below and let us know how you got on making this one.
Golden Almond, Pear and Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
- 350g drained canned pear halves, but lengthways into 1cm slices
- 120g fresh raspberries, plus extra to serve (or strawberries)
- 160g cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (250ml) maple syrup
- 1 cup (80g) oat bran
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten-free optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cinnamon quills
- Crème Fraiche, to serve – or an alternative gluten & dairy free yoghurt
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease base and sides of a 30cm x 12cm loaf pan and line with baking paper, leaving 3cm overhanging the long sides.
Line base of prepared pan with 200g pear slices and scatter with half of the raspberries
To make batter – finely chop the remaining 150g pears and combine in a bowl with sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Add almond meal, oat bran baking powder cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt.
Gently pour batter over fruit in a prepared pan
Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate and cool, fruit side up, for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the pamper and raspberry syrup, place cinnamon quills and remaining 210ml of maple syrup in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 4 minutes or until slightly reduced.
Add the remaining 60g of raspberries and stir to combine.
Stand for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
Pour some syrup over the cake and serve sliced with crème fraiche (or gluten & dairy free yoghurt), extra raspberries (or strawberries) and remaining syrup.

Clients at CPL Hope Island celebrating Valentine's Day.
