• Grease and line a 21cm / 8 inch round cake tin with baking paper.
• Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan / 200℃ / 392℉
• Quarter the peeled and cored pears, then cut each quarter into thirds lengthways (if the pears are very hard and unripe, cut each quarter into 4).
• Place a large heavy based frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.
• Once the butter has melted, add the pears cut side down. Crush the cardamom pods and add to the pan, then sprinkle over the brown sugar and squeeze over the lemon juice.
• Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes (depending on the ripeness of the pear) until the pears are just tender and a caramel sauce has formed around them.
• Place the pears cut side up in an even layer in the bottom of your lined tin. Spoon over 1 tablespoon of the sauce, leaving any leftover sauce for spooning over the cake when serving.

Make the almond buckwheat sponge

• In a large bowl mix the almond meal / ground almonds with the buckwheat flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder and pinch of salt.
• In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat in, then add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Spoon the batter over the pears and place into the preheated oven.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Sit for 10-15 minutes before turning out. Serve whilst warm with ice cream and any leftover caramel sauce spooned over.
• Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool room for up to 3 days, otherwise store it in the fridge.