Foodie Friday! New England Pear Perry Cake
New England Pear Perry Cake
Total Time: 1hr, 20mins (Prep: 20mins, Cook: 1hr)
Serves: 9
Ingredients
- 1 cup Paracombe Premium Perry ‘Mysterious One’
- 2 cups Beurre Bosc Pears (3 large or 4 small pears)
- 1 whole lemon
- ¼ cup softened butter (4 tablespoons or half a stick)
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Enough butter to grease a 9×9-inch baking pan
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the glaze:
- 1 cup Paracombe Premium Perry ‘Mysterious One’
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- Vanilla Ice Cream, optional for serving
Instructions:
- Place the first cup of Perry on the stove and bring to a boil and boil until reduced to ¼ cup. Set aside to cool.
- Core and peel the pears and then cut each into 16 slices (fewer slices if using smaller pears). Have a bowl of water that has a whole lemon squeezed into it. Place pears into water and then onto a plate to dry and set aside. This will keep them from turning brown.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until well mixed.
- With the mixer running, add one egg at a time beating until smooth. Scrap sides and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
- In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Measure out cream and add cooled reduced Perry to cream.
- With the mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the cream/perry mixture until well combined. Scrape sides and mix until smooth.
- Grease a 9X9 square pan liberally with butter and pour in the batter.
- Arrange the pears, outer edges up into the top of the batter.
- In a small bowl or cup, mix the sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the cake and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the glaze.
- Place the second cup of Perry on the stove as before only reduce down to two tablespoons. Watch it that it doesn’t evaporate too far.
- Place the icing sugar in a small bowl and add the reduced Perry along with one tablespoon of milk or cream and stir. Add the last tablespoon of milk or cream a little at a time until desired consistency. It should be thick but runny enough to drizzle off the end of a spoon.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, cool to room temperature and cut into nine squares.
- Drizzle the glaze over each portion letting it run down the sides and serve.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Recipe adapted from A Family Feast
