The Cheltenham apple and sultana cake has an almost cult following thanks to my friend Penny for whom it was created. No visit to any race course is complete without it as part of our ritual picnic.

However, it may have a second rival (there is already a pear, chocolate and almond cake which is a contender). This year I have a glut of windfall pears and I was given a packet of the sweetest, squashiest dates it is possible to imagine. They had come from Saudi Arabia and were a gift from a student at the language school to the teacher staying with me. They still had stones and the pears needed careful checking but the end result is a great cake to rival the Cheltenham special.

Line a 30 x 23 cm greased baking tray with baking parchment. Oven at 180°C.

225g softened butter
225g golden caster sugar (or a mix of caster and light muscovado sugars)
275g self-raising flour
2 level tsp baking powder
4 large eggs (or 3 duck eggs), beaten
250g stoned, chopped dates
200g pears, peeled, cored and finely chopped (hard pears may need to be lightly poached and allowed to cool)
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, dates, and pears. Put into the prepared baking tray. Smooth over with a knife and bake for 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and sprinkle over the demerara sugar. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the cake is brown, has shrunk from the sides of the tin and springs back when pressed with your finger tip. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into squares.