Serves 8

Rosemary, Apple and Pear Cake Recipe – from Kew’s The Botanical Bakery

With its lovely crunchy topping, this soft, fragrant sponge – dotted with chunks of apple and pear – makes a delightful dessert. Serve warm or at room temperature with natural yoghurt or cream.

Ingredients

115 g (4 oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150 g (5 oz/⅔ cup) sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp almond extract
150 g (5 oz/1¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
pinch of salt
50 g (2 oz/½ cup) ground almonds
125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) soured cream
1 small apple, peeled, cored, quartered and finely sliced
1 small, firm-textured pear, peeled, cored, quartered and finely sliced
50 g (2 oz) marzipan paste
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
3 tbsp Demerara sugar
3 tbsp flaked almonds
natural yoghurt or cream, to serve

Method

Line a 20 cm/8 in square cake tin with foil and grease it. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas 5).
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the almond extract.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and carefully fold in with a metal spoon, together with the ground almonds.
Add the soured cream, apple and pear to the cake mix. Transfer the batter to the lined cake tin, spreading into the corners.
In a food processor, blitz together the marzipan paste and rosemary leaves until blended. Add the Demerara sugar and flaked almonds. Sprinkle this rosemary mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until golden-brown and cooked through. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Serve warm or at room temperature with yoghurt or cream. Store in an airtight tin.

More from The Botanical Bakery: Hazelnut, Raisin and Rosemary Soda Bread Recipe.

The Botanical Bakery: 60 Blooming Recipes That Make Your Bakes Blossom is published by Welbeck in association with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (£25).
Lead picture credit: Laura Edwards, 2026