Nigel Slater: I often poach the fruit, halved and cored, in a light sugar syrup with some liquid from a jar of preserved ginger and eat them with yogurt and toasted oats. Breakfast of champions, that. The pears should lie at the base of the cake. Makes 16 pieces

Ingredients:-

For the pears:

• 500g pears, peeled, cored
• 30g diced butter plus 1 tablespoon agave or golden syrup

For the cake:

• 250g self-raising flour
• 2 level teaspoons ground ginger
• Half teaspoon mixed spice
• Half teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 200ml agave or golden syrup
• 125g butter
• 125g dark muscovado
• 2 large eggs
• 240ml milk

For the icing:

• 250g icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 knobs preserved ginger in syrup
• 1 tablespoon Demerara or golden sugar crystals
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Also needed

• You will need a square cake tin measuring approximately 22cm

Method:-

• Peel, halve and core the pears, then cut them into 2cm dice.
• Warm the butter in a shallow, nonstick pan, then add the pears and leave to cook for 10 minutes over a low to moderate heat, until they are pale gold and translucent.
• Towards the end of their cooking time, add the spoonful of agave or golden syrup.
• Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Line the base and sides of the cake tin with baking parchment.
• Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.
• Sift the flour with the ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
• Pour the syrup into a small saucepan, add the butter and the muscovado and warm over a moderate heat until the butter has melted.
• When the mixture has simmered for a minute remove from the heat.
• Break the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and beat lightly to combine.
• Pour the butter and syrup mixture into the flour and spices and stir gently until no flour is visible.
• Mix in the milk and eggs.
• Fold in the cooked pears and scrape the mixture into the lined cake tin.
• The pears should sink to the bottom.
• Slide the cake into the oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until it is lightly puffed and spongy to the touch.
• Leave to cool in the tin.
• To make the icing, put the icing sugar into a bowl, then beat in the lemon juice, either with a fork or using a small hand whisk.
• Take it steady, only using enough to make an icing thick enough that it takes a while to fall from the spoon.
• Remove the cake from its tin and peel back the parchment.
• Cut the cake into 16 equal pieces and place them on a cooling rack set over a tray.
• Trickle the icing over the cakes, letting a little run down the sides of each.
• When the icing is almost set, add a slice of crystallised ginger and a scattering of sugar crystals and poppy seeds.