Pear Spice Cake With Walnut Praline Topping Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the raisins in a bowl and toss them with 2 tablespoons of the flour until lightly coated (this will prevent them from sinking in the cake batter during baking).
• To make the cake: Beat the eggs and sugar in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer) until fluffy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the vanilla and the oil. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Mix into the egg mixture. Mix in the pears and nuts, then stir in the raisins by hand, distributing them evenly in the batter. Spoon into a 10-inch tube pan and bake about 45 to 60 minutes, until springy and dry in the center. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack, then turn it out. Freeze until ready to use or just wrap and store for up to 2 days.
• To make the glaze: Stir the maple syrup and sugar together in a bowl. Glaze the cooled cake by spooning the glaze around the top of the cake and letting it drip down the sides.

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Stir 1/2 cup butter in small saucepan over medium heat until melted and brown, about 3 minutes. Pour into large bowl. Add spice cake mix, canned pear nectar, eggs, molasses and crystallized ginger. Using electric mixer, beat batter 2 minutes. Fold in pears. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Release pan sides. Place cake on platter.
• Stir golden brown sugar, whipping cream and remaining 1/2 cup butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until smooth. Boil 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in pecan halves. Spoon warm topping over warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray; light flour.
• Peel, core and chop 2 of the pears; place in blender. Cover; puree until smooth. Measure 1/2 cup of the puree. Reserve remaining puree for another use.
• In small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup pear puree, the oil and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined.
• Peel, core and chop remaining 3 pears. Fold chopped pears into cake batter. Pour into pan.
• Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Place cooling rack upside down over pan; turn rack and pan over. Remove pan. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• To make icing, in 2-quart saucepan, cook butter, brown sugar, salt and cream over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. With whisk, beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Immediately pour over cooled cake.

Steps:

• Pre-heat over to 350°F In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and flour. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla and pear juice. Beat in spices and pears, mix until well incorporated, but still chunky. Fold in by hand, toasted nuts. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake in oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. To make glaze, stir together all ingredients and drizzle over cake while hot.
• Serving suggestions: Serve warm with hot coffee or sliced cold and spread with cream cheese, to make a tea sandwich.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, spread the granulated sugar in an even layer. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until sugar around the edge of the pan melts and begins to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir until all sugar has melted and mixture is translucent and golden.
• Add pear chunks to caramel, and stir to coat. Cook, covered, over low heat until very soft, 6 to 8 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Using a potato masher, mash the pears until they are broken down but still slightly chunky. Continue cooking, uncovered, 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch (12-cup capacity) Bundt pan, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, baking soda, pepper, and nutmeg; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Add the reserved pear sauce, and mix to combine, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Do not overmix.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth with a small offset spatula. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until cake is a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Invert the cake onto a wire rack set over a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool 10 minutes. Once cool, pour the glaze over the top, letting some drip down the sides. Alternatively, dust with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with pear chips, if using.
• Pear Sauce how-to
• Pear chunks are added to a pan of caramel and cooked over low heat.
• After several minutes, a potato masher is used to help break down the pears.
• The final consistency of the sauce is thick and somewhat chunky.

Steps:

• Melt butter over medium heat in a small pan. Stir in brown sugar, whipping cream and vanilla.
• Cook and stir until it reaches a full boil then reduce heat and boil gently for three minutes stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and stir in chopped pecans (and shot of rum if serving the adult version). Serve warm.