Speculaas Spice Pear-Nog Cake with Mascarpone Whip and Caramelized Pears
Speculaas Spice Pear-Nog Cake with Mascarpone Whip and Caramelized Pears, is my entry in the USA Pears Blogger Recipe Challenge, in the Baking/Desserts Category.
I was invited to compete in the “USA Pears Farm Blogger Recipe Challenge” thanks to USA Pears Farm! The “USA Pears Blogger Recipe Challenge” was only open to 30 eligible bloggers, and you know those fantastic cooking foodies are going to bring their best pear recipes! I certainly did. Check out all of the entries on social media under the tags: #usapears and #cookingwithpears.
Bloggers were only allowed to submit one recipe in each category…gosh it was hard to choose what recipe I wanted to submit in the categories of: Appetizers/Side Dishes and Baking/Desserts. You see I am so in LuV with Pears!
My pear craze came as a child as my mom prepared her Peppy Pear Jam every Christmas. We ate Peppy Pear Jam on everything: pork, turkey sandwich, toast, ice cream, pancakes, and inside filled cookies. Sometimes the pear-licious jam would show up in a bowl or even in a cute jar creatively wrapped in festive ribbon. Mama’s annual pear jam marked my palate with “PEARS are delicious and filled with heartfelt love”. That reminds me…let’s give a heartfelt shout-out to all of the hard working USA pear growers who bring to our tables 10 varieties of Northwest pears. Oh gosh, my deepest thank you for a lifetime or pear memories.
Enough chat, let’s get this insanely delicious pear cake. Hey, just so you know, my pear-nog spice cake can be made just as a snack cake. The cake gains flavor and moisture for up to 5-days. The cake itself can be stored on the counter while the mascarpone whip and caramelized pears are refrigerated.
This entire recipe can be made 2 days before your party!
Speculaas Spice Pear-Nog Cake with Mascarpone Whip and Caramelized Pears
Ingredients:
To make Pear-Nog Cake:
2 medium USA Bartlett Pears, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
1/2 to 1 cup eggnog, as instructed
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Speculaas spice blend, or see spice blend recipe below
1/4 cup finely chopped crystalized ginggr, 6 large pieces for garnish
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Make you own Speculaas Spice Blend:
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
To Make Caramelized Pears:
5 medium USA Bartlett Pears, peeled, cored
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 teaspoons Speculaas spice blend or remaining homemade
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
Make-Ahead Mascarpone Whip:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, on counter 15 minutes
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
To make cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with parchment paper, and butter the bottom and sides. I use an aluminized steel pan.
Combine USA Bartlett pears and 1/2 cup eggnog in a blender bowl; blend until smooth puree. Add enough eggnog to equal 1 3/4 cup pear-nog. Add vanilla extract; set aside.
In a medium size bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon Speculaas spice blend, 1/4 cup crystalized ginger, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment, combine butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add 1 egg at a time, beating after each addition, and scraping the bowl.
Adjust mixer speed to low, and slowly alternate 1/4 of the pear-nog and 1/4 of the flour mixture, at a time. Beat batter until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center of the cake.
Cool on baker’s rack. Run a knife along the pan’s inside to release cake from pan, if needed. Invert cake onto a cutting board. Cut 12 single serving portions with a 3-inch circular or square cutter or with a 4-inch cutting ring form 6 “pair-cake” portions for two people to share.
To make caramelized pears: Prepare caramelized pears while the cake is baking. Chop 5 USA Bartlett pears into 1-inch pieces and place in a large pot. Add lemon juice, remaining Speculaas spice blend, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover, stirring occasionally, cook over low heat until cake has cooled, about 40 minutes.
To make mascarpone whip cream: In a cold bowl of a standing mixer, beat mascarpone, on medium low speed. Slowly pour in heavy cream, and beat until mascarpone is well incorporated into cream. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon, and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. The mascarpone whip will be stable in the refrigerator for several days.
To assemble: Place individual cakes on serving dishes and pipe or dollop mascarpone whip cream on top. Spoon caramelized pears over whip and along the sides of the cake. Garnish with a sliver of crystalized ginger jetting from the mascarpone whip.
Serves: 6 pairs or 12 individual servings
