This Spiced Pear Cake has been on my to do list for the last two years and I just needed to bake it before we are full on in Spring and there are no more pears to cook and bake with.
The first time I ate the cake was at a Spier Secret Dinner in 2013. The cake was part of Errieda du Toit’s elaborate and totally delicious dessert spread that evening. I got home and searched for the recipe by Yvette van Boven and it has been on that to do list ever since. It is a beautiful cake, very easy to make and fit for any kind of celebratory dessert or tea time treat and a must bake when pears are in season.
I tweaked the recipe slightly as I am not too fond of cardamon and replaced the spice in the batter with vanilla extract but kept it in the poaching liquid. As I also replaced the white chocolate drizzle with milk chocolate as that was what I had in the cupboard at the time.
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized firm pears, peeled with the stem left on
- 750ml dry white wine
- 250g sugar
- 4 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 8 cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- For the cake:
- 200g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 200g sugar
- 4 eggs
- 200g self-rising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 100g white chocolate, in chunks
Instructions
- Poach the pears:
- In a large saucepan, combine the pears, wine, sugar, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon and poach for 30 minutes over low heat
- Take the pears out of the liquid and set aside to cool
- Add 500ml water to the poaching liquid and boil to reduce the liquid by half. Set aside and let cool
- Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C
- Grease 1.5l loaf pan and line it with baking paper and grease the baking paper
- Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy
- Beat in the eggs one at the time and beat well after each addition
- Add the vanilla extract and beat well
- Sift the flour and salt over the batter and fold it in
- Spoon the batter into the pan
- Press the pears in, stem end up
- Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean
- Allow to cool in the pan, then gently remove the cake from the pan to a rack to cool completely
- Before serving, set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water
- Stir the chocolate in the bowl until melted
- Using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the cake and create nice stripes on top
- Let the chocolate dry for a bit and serve the cake in thick slices, with the reduced pear syrup poured on top
27 September is our next Food Photography Workshop as part of my collaboration with Francois Pistorius and Isabella Niehaus. Join us for an inspired and creative day in the most beautiful location up on the West Coast. We still have a few spots left – leave a comment or send a message if you’d like to attend.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Sep 15, 2015
Just BEAUTIFUL. The pears that stud the cake.. WOW!
hein
Sep 15, 2015
Thank you so much Thalia
FoodGeekGraze
Sep 9, 2016
your photographs leave me speechless… (and hungry). love love love love love!
heinstirred
Sep 9, 2016
Thank you so much. That is so kind 🙂