Spiced Gin Pear Cake
This Spiced Gin Pear cake is the perfect dessert for entertaining and for pairing with a Gewürztraminer, Riesling or dessert wine. Loaded with lush ripe pears, fresh thyme and fragrant gin this cake is sure to be a crowd pleasure.
Ingredients
- 4 Ripe Pears (I used Bartlett Pears)
- 6 Sprigs of Thyme
- 1 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Ground Cardamon
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ¾ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup Raw Sugar
- 3 tbsp Gin
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- ⅓ cup Buttermilk at room temperature
- ½ cup Butter, melted plus more for greasing parchment paper
- 2 tbsp Demerara Sugar
- Powdered Sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a piece of parchment paper into an 8-or 9-inch cast iron pan and grease with butter.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the sugar, gin, and vanilla extract. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk to combine.
3. Peel, halve, and core 3 of the pears, then cut them into 1/2-inch-thick cubes. Reserve the remaining pear (unpeeled, and cut into 1/4-inch slices) for the top.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined, then gently fold in half of the melted butter. Repeat with the remaining flour and butter. Gently fold in the cubed pears, reserving the slices. Add the leaves from 5 thyme leaves. 5. Transfer the batter to the pan and arrange the pear slices in a circular pattern on top of the batter. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and the remaining thyme leaves. Bake until the cake turns a deep golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes. 6. Transfer the skillet to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes. The cake may be served warm or at room temperature, directly from the skillet; whichever you choose, be sure to dust with confectioners sugar before serving.