Pear Cake with Brown Butter Mascarpone Cream

This cake is inspired by a trip I took to Italy, where I had a simple pear cake topped with mascarpone cream. It was so good that I knew in the moment as soon as I got home, I knew I had to recreate it. The original didn’t have a brown butter cream or poached pears, but I wanted to add my own twist. This version came together naturally, and it’s quickly become a favorite. Hope you enjoy it!

Had to make sure it tastes as good as it looks. Spoiler: it does.

Ingredients:

Cake Batter

• 10 ripe pears (1.0kg) - 8 pears for the cake and 2 for the poached pears

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 100ml vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup corn starch

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

  
  

Brown Butter Mascarpone Whipped Cream

• 50g butter (browned)

• 90g mascarpone (at room temperature) - if you don’t have mascarpone, you can use cream cheese instead.

• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste/extract

• Pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

  
  

Poached Pears in Syrup:

• 2 pears (peeled, halved, and seeds removed with a small spoon)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 3 cloves

• 2 slices of ginger

• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste

• 2 slices of lemon

Directions:

For the Brown Butter Mascarpone Whipped Cream:

1. In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until lightly browned and nutty in fragrance (about 5-8 minutes). Remove from heat, transfer to a heat-safe container, and refrigerate until solid.

2. Once solid, beat the butter in a mixer until creamed. Add the mascarpone, vanilla paste, and salt, and blend on low speed until well combined.

3. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

   
   

For the Poached Pears:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger slices, vanilla paste, and lemon slices. Allow the mixture to simmer.

2. While the mixture heats, prepare a cartouche: Cut a circle of parchment paper slightly larger than the diameter of your saucepan. Fold the circle in half, then in quarters, and snip off the pointed tip to create a small hole in the center. This will allow steam to escape while keeping the pears submerged. (here is a step by step on how to make it by REMCooks)

3. When the mixture begins to simmer, lower the heat and gently add the peeled pear halves, ensuring they are fully submerged in the liquid.

4. Place the cartouche over the pears, pressing it down lightly to sit on the surface of the liquid. This helps maintain even poaching.

5. Simmer gently for 15-25 minutes, checking the pears occasionally by piercing them with a knife or skewer. The pears are ready when the knife slides in easily but the fruit still holds its shape.

6. Carefully remove the pears from the poaching liquid and set them aside to cool on a plate or wire rack.

7. Return the poaching liquid to the stove and simmer over medium heat until it reduces into a thick syrup, perfect for glazing the cake - this should take about 5 minutes.

   
   

For the Cake Batter:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

2. Line a 24 cm cake pan with baking paper.

3. Peel and core the pears, then slice them thinly. Set aside.

4. In a stand mixer, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

5. Add the vegetable oil and mix for another 5 minutes.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing for an additional 5 minutes. (This extended mixing time after each step enhances the cake’s texture.)

7. Fold in the sliced pears and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. (you might think that there is not enough batter but that is how it is supposed to look like)

8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. While still warm, glaze the cake with a bit of the poaching syrup to enhance the flavor and add a glossy finish. Dust with powdered sugar.

To Serve:

Slice the cake and serve warm or cold with a generous dollop of the brown butter mascarpone whipped cream. Add a poached pear half to each plate for an elegant touch.

-Bon Appétit!