Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.

Cut the pears in half and remove the core and stem, then slice crossways into thin half-moon shapes. Arrange the pear slices in the base of each muffin cup, slightly overlapping each slice to create a fan pattern. Finely chop or grate any leftover scraps of pear to mix into the cake batter.

Pour a teaspoon of maple syrup over the pears in each muffin cup and place in the oven for 5 minutes to parcook the pears. 

Meanwhile, prepare the cake batter. Whisk the eggs until foamy, then mix in the oil and milk until combined. Add any chopped leftover pear, followed by the cake mix, and stir to form a batter.

Evenly divide the cake batter between the muffin cups and place back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then gently run a palette knife around each tea cake to loosen the sides. Place a tray on top of the tin and swiftly flip it over to turn out the cakes. Serve with an extra drizzle of maple syrup and whipped cream, if desired.

Notes: Choose small pears that comfortably fit within the diameter of your muffin cups. If your pears are too big, you’ll need to trim them down to size as needed.

For some added crunch, fold some roughly chopped pecans into the cake batter.

For a vegan-friendly variation, follow the above recipe method using our vegan spiced cake recipe.