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Fluffy Pear Cake with Caramel
Instructions
Make the caramel: in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water to the boil, pour in the sugar and add the pieces of butter. Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until golden, stirring now and then with a silicone spatula. The caramel should turn amber-gold – no darker, or it will taste bitter.
Add the peeled pears, cut into cubes (2–3 cm). Use firm varieties such as Conference or Duchess – soft ones will fall apart into mush. Saute them in the caramel for 7–10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the pears are soaked through.
Whisk the chilled eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt using a mixer for 5–7 minutes into a fluffy white foam. The volume should increase three to four times – this is the basis of an airy sponge.
Add the flour sifted together with the baking powder and fold it in carefully with a silicone spatula, from the bottom upwards – so as not to knock the air out of the whisked foam. Do not stir for long, just until smooth.
Pour the batter into a baking tin greased with butter. You can also dust it with semolina – this way the cake will not stick and will come out of the tin easily.
Add the chilled pear filling – it must be cold or at room temperature, not hot. Spread it evenly over the surface of the batter. Bake at 180 °C for about 35–40 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out dry.
Let the cake cool completely in the tin for 15–20 minutes, carefully remove it and cut into portions. Dust with icing sugar through a sieve – it gives a pretty “snowy” decoration.
Tips
- 1
The pear filling must be strictly cold – a warm one will deflate the whisked batter and the cake will collapse.
- 2
Instead of pears you can use apples (Antonovka), peaches, plums or quince – it works wonderfully with any firm fruit.
- 3
Add almond flakes or chopped walnuts over the filling for extra texture. I bake an apple Tarte Tatin on a similar principle.
- 4
Dust with icing sugar or cocoa before serving – it gives a pretty finishing touch.
FAQ
What can replace the baking powder in the batter? +
Use 0.5 tsp of bicarbonate of soda slaked with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Add the soda straight into the flour, and the acid to the eggs with the sugar. You can do without baking powder altogether if you whisk the eggs very well – the sponge will rise naturally on a strong, fluffy foam. That is how our grandmothers used to bake. An alternative is baker's powder, taken in the same proportion. The main thing is freshness – expired baking powder does not work.
Can I make the cake without caramel? +
Yes, simply place the fresh sliced pears straight into the batter – the flavour will be lighter and less dessert-like, but still excellent. Without caramel the cake will be more like a classic pear charlotte. The caramel gives that characteristic sweet, burnt accent and a more “restaurant” flavour. You can make an in-between version – saute the pears in butter without sugar, adding cinnamon. Honey instead of caramel also works nicely – brush it over the pears before baking.
How long does the finished cake keep? +
In the fridge, in a tightly sealed container – up to 3 days. On the second day the flavour becomes even better – the batter is fully soaked through with pear juice and caramel. Before serving you can warm it slightly in the oven for 5 minutes at 150 °C, or in the microwave for 30 seconds – the cake will be almost like freshly baked. You can freeze it for up to a month – the flavour holds after thawing. A fresh cake is always tastier, so it is best to bake it for an occasion.
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