Pear-Spice Bundt Cake
This Pear-Spice Bundt Cake recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart and can be found in her baking cookbook in our store. For those of you who have been in the store on any given Saturday, you know that we nearly always provide a sweet goodie and fresh coffee for our visitors. We either make something from scratch or purchase freshly baked goods from our local grower’s market. Over the years, we’ve served this cake in the store several times because we’ve found it to be a reliable, easy-to-make recipe. For a link to the original recipe on the Martha Stewart website, click HERE.
Pear-Spice Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 pounds Bartlett pears peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/2" chuncks
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, spread granulated sugar in an even layer. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until sugar around edge of pan melts and begins to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir until all sugar has melted and mixture is translucent and golden.
- Add pear chunks to caramel, and stir to coat. Cook, covered, over low heat until very soft, 6 to 8 minutes, swirling pan occasionally. Using a potato masher, mash pears until they are broken down but still slightly chunky. Continue cooking, uncovered, 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch (12-cup capacity) Bundt pan, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, baking soda, pepper, and nutmeg; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. With mixer on the lowest speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour. Add reserved pear sauce and mix to combine, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Do not over mix.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth with a small offset spatula. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until cake is a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Invert cake onto a wire rack set over a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool 10 minutes. OPTIONAL: Once cool, pour your favorite glaze over the top, letting some drip down the sides. Alternatively, dust with confectioners' sugar.