Upside-down pear cake
You may want to prepare the pears the day before.
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Serves
8
Cooking Time
Prep 20 mins, cook 6 hours
| Cake |
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150 gm
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caster sugar
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80 gm (½ cup)
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unblanched almonds
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60 gm
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hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
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60 gm
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dessicated coconut
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160 gm
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plain flour
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300 gm
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butter
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300 gm
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granulated sugar
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3
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eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
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2
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oranges (finely grated rind of)
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To serve:
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sour cream or crème Anglaise
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| Roast pears |
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6 large
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under-ripe pears
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180 gm
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granulated sugar
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2
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lemons (juice of)
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50 ml
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white wine
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1
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For roast pears, preheat oven to 150C. Peel pears and halve lengthways. Place cut-side down in a baking dish, sprinkle over sugar and drizzle with lemon juice and wine. Cover with foil and bake for up to 4 hours or until tender. Cool. Using a melon baller, remove cores and stem. Strain liquid through a sieve and reserve. Pears may be cooked the day before and refrigerated.
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2
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Place caster sugar in a small saucepan, add enough water to dampen and cook over high heat for 10 minutes or until caramel in colour. Pour caramel into a 20cm-round cake pan with high sides and swirl to coat base and sides.
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3
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Process nuts and coconut in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then add half the flour and process to a medium meal. Combine with remaining flour. Using an electric beater, cream butter, sugar and orange rind until fluffy and approximately 3 times its original volume, then add eggs, a little at a time, beating to incorporate each addition before adding next. Using the open palm of your hand, fold nut mixture through creamed mixture until combined.
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4
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Increase oven to 160C. Arrange pears, round-side down, snugly into cake pan, spoon over cake mixture, place in a baking dish and cover base with 5mm of water. Bake for 2 hours or until firm and golden. Allow cake to cool in pan. Warm base of pan over stove to melt caramel, then invert onto a plate. Serve drizzled with reserved pear liquid and sour cream or crème Anglaise.
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Drink Suggestion Late-harvest muscat.
RECIPE Phillip Searle
PHOTOGRAPHY Con Poulos
STYLING Rodney Dunn
DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen