Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Put saffron in a small heatproof bowl and add 2tbsp boiling water. Leave to infuse. Lightly grease and line a 23cm (9in) round cake tin with baking parchment.
Step 2
Using an electric whisk, cream the butter with 125g (4oz) sugar until smooth. Strain the saffron, then add the liquid and the whole eggs to the mix, a little at a time, beating well between each addition.
Step 3
Sift in flour and baking powder, then fold in, along with 50g (2oz) ground almonds. Stir in the pears, then spoon mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 20min.
Step 4
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add remaining sugar, a little at a time - the mixture should stay stiff. Fold in remaining ground almonds.
Step 5
Pull the oven shelf out slightly. Spoon the meringue mixture over the cake and sprinkle flaked almonds on top. Bake for another 30min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar and serve with poached pears.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
