cateory: desserts
Almond cake with sauteed pears and red wine syrup
Reviews: 198
Ingredients:
- 3 cups fruity, off-dry red wine;
- 1 cup granulated sugar;
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half.
- Almond cake:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature;
- 1⁄3 cup grapeseed oil or mild-flavored extra-virgin olive oil;
- 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar;
- 12 ounces almond paste (not marzipan), crumbled;
- Finely grated zest of 2 oranges;
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature;
- 1⁄2 cup cake flour;
- 1 teaspoon baking powder;
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur.
- Sautéed pears:
- 4 ripe but firm pears (about 2 pounds);
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter;
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Red wine syrup:
How to make
Almond cake with sauteed pears and red wine syrup
Almond cake with sauteed pears and red wine syrup
- For the syrup:
- Bring the wine, granulated sugar, and cinnamon stick to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil gently until the mixture reduces by half, about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Discard the cinnamon stick. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
- Beat the butter, oil, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy in a large bowl with an electric mixer set to high speed, about 3 minutes. Mix in the almond paste and orange zest. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing only until they are incorporated. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl, then add to the batter and beat only until they disappear into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Turn out the cake onto a serving plate and brush with the liqueur.
- For the pears: Peel and core the pears. Cut into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar. Add the pears and saute until barely tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- To serve, cut the cake into wedges. Top each wedge with pears and a generous drizzle of the syrup.
- What else works? You can replace the pears with halved fresh figs or fresh orange sections. Do not saute the oranges.
- Make-ahead note: You can store the syrup covered and refrigerated for up to 4 weeks. Return it to room temperature for serving.
Comments for
Almond cake with sauteed pears and red wine syrup
Almond cake with sauteed pears and red wine syrup
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