As the perfect autumnal treat, we have created a spiced pear and coffee streusel cake. I always associate streusel with delicious autumnal fruits like pears, apples and plums. I’ve added some ground cardamom and espresso, as they both go so well with pears. I like to serve this simple cake a little warm with a drizzle of cream. Ingredients: For the Cake: 2 tsp instant espresso powder 175g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 175g soft light brown sugar 175g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1 tsp ground cardamom 3 eggs 3-4 pears, peeled, cored and diced (I like to use ripe conference pears. If you are preparing the ingredients well in advance it’s a good idea to squeeze over some lemon juice or drizzle with a little apple juice to prevent the pears from oxidising) For the Streusel: 75g plain flour 50g cold butter, cubed 25g caster sugar 1 tsp ground cardamom Equipment: 20cm Springform Cake TinMixing BowlSpatulaCake linersSkewers Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease and line a 20cm springform cake tin. Dissolve the instant espresso powder in 2 tbsp of boiling water. Set aside to cool. Start by making the streusel. Rub the flour, cold butter and sugar together using your fingertips, until it starts to clump together and resemble breadcrumbs. Leave to chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. In a separate bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. I do this in a kitchen mixer, but you can obviously do it with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, alternating with a spoonful of the flour mixture to prevent the batter from curdling. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Fold in the remaining flour mixture, followed by the cooled espresso. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin. Tumble over the pears, followed by the streusel. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing to a cake rack. It will keep in an airtight container for about three days, but it's best eaten when it's still slightly warm with a drizzle of cream.