Recipes -

100g Sultanas

75ml Rum

150ml walnut oil

200g sugar

2 large eggs

350g plain flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp bicarb of soda

½ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp salt

450g pears (cored and cut into small cubes)

zest of 1 lemon

20cm/8 inch tin (buttered and lined)

Serves 6

Preheat oven to 180oC/gas mark 4

Put sultanas and rum into a saucepan and bring to boil being careful to keep alcohol away from the flame. Remove from heat and allow sultanas to plump up.

Beat sugar and oil together in a bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating till light mayonnaise consistency, using an electric whisk if possible. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and fold in with a metal spoon.

Stir in the pears, lemon zest and drained sultanas.

Smooth down the fairly stiff batter and bake for 1 hour, poking with a wooden skewer to check when done.

Let the cake stand for 10 minutes in the tin or on a wire rack, then turn out and leave to cool.

Glaze with warm apricot jam.