Caramel-Glazed Pear Cake
When my Aunt Dorothy made this cake, I thought it was one of the best I ever had. She's gone now, but I still think of her when I see this recipe. It is a marvelously moist cake.
When my Aunt Dorothy made this cake, I thought it was one of the best I ever had. She's gone now, but I still think of her when I see this recipe. It is a marvelously moist cake.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 4 ripe bartlett pears peeled and diced
- 1-1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 cups pecans coarsely chopped
- caramel glaze
- Carbohydrate 210.33545 g
- Cholesterol 345.3065 mg
- Fat 57.099894 g
- Fiber 4.94830001235008 g
- Protein 15.987144 g
- Saturated Fat 11.8183625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (421g)
- Sodium 799.2096 mg
- Sugar 205.38714998765 g
- Trans Fat 2.99031240000001 g
- Calories 1383 calories
Step-by-step
- CAKE: Toss together pears and 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand 5 minutes
- Beat eggs, 2 cups sugar and oil at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.
- Combine flour, salt, and baking soda, and add to egg mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in pears, chopped pecans, and vanilla extract. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan.
- Bake at 350-degrees (F) for 1 hour or until a wooded pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, and drizzle Caramel Glaze over WARM cake.
- GLAZE: Stir together brown sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 2-1/2 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
Dense crumbs encased in a sticky, amber glaze yield a rich dessert dominated by warm caramelized sugar and soft, yielding chunks of fruit. Baking a dense fruit cake with oil and fresh fruit requires careful management of moisture levels, especially when altering standard baking ingredients to accommodate dietary needs.
- Replace the three large eggs with commercial vegan egg replacer or three tablespoons of aquafaba per egg to maintain structural binding without animal products.
- Substitute a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend containing xanthan gum directly for the all-purpose flour, but ensure the batter rests for fifteen minutes before baking to hydrate the starches properly.
- Swap the dairy butter in the glaze for an equal weight of solid coconut oil or plant-based baking sticks, and use canned full-fat coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
- Watch the baking progress closely in a 350-degree oven, testing with a wooden pick at the 55-minute mark to prevent the exterior pecans from burning before the center sets.
Overmixing the batter develops excess gluten and yields a tough crumb, while failing to drain excess liquid from sugared pears can cause the center of the Bundt pan to collapse. Careful measurement and proper substitution ratios ensure reliable results across different dietary preferences.
