Poached Pear Whipped Cream Cake
Recipe By: 
Recipe type: Dessert, Cake
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
I doubled the recipe to make a nice tall 8" cake and it turned out beautifully, if not doubling use a 6" cake pan. To adjust for being at high altitude (between 5000ft and 6000ft) I added ¾ cup half and half and reduced the oven temperature to 315˚.
Ingredients

  • FOR THE CAKE
  • 1½ cups sifted cake flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt1 cup chilled whipping cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    FOR THE POACHED PEARS
  • 1 barely ripe pear
  • water
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350˚ Place the bowl of an electric mixer and the whisk attachment in the freezer and prepare two 6" cake pans (or you can double the recipe and use an 8" spring form pan) by smearing soft butter on the bottom and sides of the pans and then dusting with flour, tapping out the excess, set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside.
  3. Grab the mixing bowl and whisk out of the freezer and whip the cream to soft peaks. Place in the fridge while you beat the eggs.
  4. Beat the eggs until thick and pale and add the vanilla extract and fold in the whipped cream.
  5. Very carefully sift ¼ of the flour mixture over the whipped cream mixture and fold in. Repeat until all the flour is folded into the cream.
  6. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
  7. Cool in the pan about 15 minutes and then run a knife around the edge to loosen and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
    FOR THE POACHED PEARS
  8. Slice the pear in half and place in a medium saucepan, just cover with water and add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and simmer about 15 minutes, until the pear is soft. Remove from the poaching liquid and cool until completely cool.
  9. Once cool, remove the seeds and slice very thinly. Ice the center of your cake and then top with ¾ of the pear slices, put the top layer of cake on that and finish icing the cake, topping with the remaining pear slices.
Recipe by Foods of Our Lives at https://www.foodsofourlives.com/2013/05/poached-pear-whipped-cream-cake/