Magical and delicious winter pear cardamom pound cake that is perfect for snowy and moody days. The whole steamed pears inside add dramatic effect and look stunning on the plate. Promise me you will make it these holidays! I swear it will become your family’s favorite.
I’m back! The timing is probably a bit off. Right after hectic holidays time and the beginning of the new year, but here I am. Ready and eager to share with you the recipe of this magical and delicious winter pear cardamom pound cake. I’ve chosen this recipe for one reason. The dramatic whole pears inside, and I haven’t regretted a second. The cake was everything I wished for a winter cake: not overly sweet, fragrant, and satisfyingly moist.
I’ve followed Zoe Bakes recipe and used a loaf pan instead of a tube one. The other difference is the number of pears I’ve put inside the pan. I could fit only two pears in my loaf pan. It still looked beautiful, and I’ve used all other pears as beautiful props for the photoshoot.
SEO plugin notifies me that the text length is too short, and I need to add more words. But what if there is nothing to add? These past weeks have been hard for me, but I don’t want to change the subject of this blog. It’s about food and photography. Before I used to overshare. My feelings, emotions, and thoughts. At some point, it started to feel like I’m no longer myself. I’ve said too much, and there was nothing private left that I can cherish and protect. That’s why I have decided to keep this blog and my Instagram profile as distant as I can. Sometimes I have the need to share my feelings, but it usually doesn’t last long enough for me to actually do something.
I hope you like my space, and I’m looking forward to sharing more recipes and beautiful photography with you in the future. Just not something private. But who knows? Never say never.
Anyways, let’s jump to the recipe, and promise me you will make it soon. Happy Holidays! And here is another recipe of the pound cake I encourage you to try. After this one 🙂
Winter Pear Cardamom Pound Cake
Magical and delicious winter pear cardamom pound cake recipe that is perfect for snowy and moody days under a blanket with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
Pear Cardamon Cake
- 3/4 cup (165g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped candied ginger
- 2 eggs at the room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk at room temperature
- 2-3 small ripe pears, peeled and cored (I've left stems on)
Cardamon Sugar Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (plus more as needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously grease the bundt pan with butter and dust with the flour. That way the cake won't stick to the pan. Set the pan aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cardamom. Set aside.
- Prepare the batter. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter at a medium-high speed until creamy and smooth for about a minute. Set speed to low and add sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract to the batter. When almost combined turn the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy for 3 minutes. Turn the speed on medium-low and add eggs, one at the time, mixing well and scraping the bowl every time.
- Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter and mix at low speed until combined. Add 1/2 of buttermilk and mix well. Repeat with the second 1/3 of the flour mixture and the rest of the buttermilk. Finish with the final 1/3 of dry ingredients. Mix well and scrape the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Fill the bundt pan and add pears. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Gently tap the pan on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles. Press the pears, upright, halfway into the batter, spacing them evenly around the pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake the cake for 1.15 hours until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean. To make sure pears haven't fallen down, check the cake in the first 20 minutes in the oven. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan. To easily transfer the cake to the serving plate, rub a knife around the edge of the cake.
- Finish the cake with the icing and enjoy.
For the icing
- Prepare the icing. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, heavy whipping cream, and ground cardamom. Stir with a spoon to mix into a thick paste. Add more cream as needed to achieve the consistency to drizzle the icing over the cake. Use the icing immediately.
