INGREDIENTS
CAKE
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2 cups cake flour
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1 tablespoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 stick unsalted butter, softened
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1/2 cup granulated sugar
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1/2 cup light brown sugar
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4 large egg yolks
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Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
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1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
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2/3 cup buttermilk
PEARS
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5 Beurre d’Anjou pears
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One 750 ml bottle Riesling
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1 cup water
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1 cup sugar
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1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
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One 3-inch-long strip of orange zest
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3 star anise pods
VANILLA CRÈME FRAÎCHE
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1 cup crème fraîche
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
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1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line it with a 9-inch round of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.
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In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the yolks, one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. At low speed, alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk until almost blended. With a rubber spatula, finish folding the mixture together just until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool completely.
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Peel and halve the pears. With a spoon, scoop out the cores and discard. In a large saucepan, combine the Riesling, water, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, orange zest and star anise pods. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the pear halves and simmer over moderate heat, turning once, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pears to a large plate. Discard the star anise, vanilla bean and orange zest. Boil the Riesling poaching liquid over high heat until reduced to 1 cup and syrupy, about 15 minutes. When the pears have cooled, slice them lengthwise 1/3 inch thick.
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In a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and confectioners’ sugar.
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Unmold the cake onto a plate and peel off the paper. Cut the cake into 10 wedges and transfer to plates. Place a sliced pear half alongside each cake slice. Spoon some of the Riesling syrup over the cake, top with some vanilla crème fraîche and serve.
| Adapted from Food & Wine