Line and butter a 25cm ovenproof frying pan or cake tin, making sure the base is well greased. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/355f. If you want to make it in a smaller tin, you can but it will just take slightly longer to bake.
Peel the pears then slice them in half. Use a teaspoon to remove the core and then slice thinly.
Lay the pear slices neatly in a spiral pattern - this will become the top of the cake once it’s turned out. Sprinkle over the 50g of dark brown sugar.
In a food processor, blend together the butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and self-raising flour until smooth. Pour this mixture over the pears, spreading it gently to cover.
If you don't have a food processor, just cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk. Add the eggs, mix, followed by the flour.
Bake in the preheated oven for around 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake (not all the way to the bottom) comes out clean.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 2 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a plate. Allow to cool completely.
Melt the butter and light brown sugar in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved and the sauce looks glossy and fudgy.
Pour the warm fudge sauce over the cooled cake, smoothing it to cover the surface. Slice and enjoy!
The video below will help with this recipe.
