These gorgeous little Saffron Poached Pear Cakes are the culmination of a lot of different ideas and inspirations. They started as a little inkling in the back of my mind when I was perusing cookbooks at Terrain last Christmas and came across Homemade Winter, by Yvette van Boven. The gorgeous photo of a pear cake on the cover stuck with me, even after I’d read the recipe and decided not to make it (white chocolate just isn’t my thing). Then, months later when paging through Jerusalem, I loved the recipe for Saffron Cardamom Poached Pears and was reminded of the image from Homemade. While the pears are absolutely a lovely dessert on their own, they also seemed perfect for sinking inside a moist, flavorful cake. I played around with different versions of cake that would work with but not overpower the strong yet subtle flavor of saffron and I think this cake strikes the perfect balance. The slightly floral aromatic qualities of the almond flour, orange zest and marmalade work well with the saffron and cardamom. There’s a lot going on, but it’s well balanced and the result is beautiful Saffron Poached Pear Cakes that are full of a golden surprise that’s sure to delight your loved ones and are a lovely end to a lovely Jerusalem Cookbook Dinner Party.
- 12 saffron poached seckel pears
- ¾ cup sunflower oil (can use other vegetable oil, but this is worth buying)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup orange marmalade (fine-cut peel)
- 4 large free-range eggs
- grated zest of 1 orange
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup semolina flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- crème fraîche to serve
- soaking syrup
- ½ cup superfine sugar
- ¾ cup reserved saffron wine poaching liquid
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Whisk together the oil, orange juice, marmalade, eggs, sugar and orange zest until the marmalade dissolves. Add baking powder and flours. Mix until well combined (the mixture should be runny).*
- Grease 12 large muffin cups (each slot has a 1 cup capacity)**.
- Place one of the pears in each cavity (cut the bottoms off the pairs to make them sit level, as well as to make the short enough so the batter can cover them).
- Divide the filling evenly between them (the batter doesn't really rise, so go ahead and fill to cover the pears). Re-center the pears.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the cake is spongey but firm and the tops turn an orange-brown.
- Near the end of the baking time, place the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
- As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, drizzle with the hot syrup (a spoon or a pastry brush works) but be patient and allow the syrup to soak in for a minute or two between additions.
Use all the syrup. - Once the cakes have cooled down a little, remove them from the pan and leave to cool completely.
- Serve with the crème fraîche and a fork and knife (people will want to have a knife to cut the pear). Pomegranate seeds and mint leaves look lovely too.
- This dessert is simple to make and you can divide up the steps if you like; the pears can easily be poached a day ahead.
- *I pulsed everything together in the blender since I already had orange stuff in it.
- **If you don't have muffin pans that fit the small pears, use larger pears and two loaf pans instead.
- 15 cardamom pods
- 2 cups dry white wine
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 12 firm seckel pears, peeled, stems intact*
- 6-ounce container crème fraîche
- Gently crush cardamom so they’re slightly open without releasing seeds (if a few escape, that’s fine).
- Combine cardamom, wine, sugar, lemon juice, saffron, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer.
- Add pears; add water if needed to completely submerge pears. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer, turning occasionally, until pears are softened, but not even yet to tender, and definitely not mushy, about 15 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate (or if you're ready, directly into the pans).
- Reserve poaching liquid.
- *6 regular sized pears
WOW, this is just such a fun idea!!! I love the flavor idea of combining saffron and pears! I bet this smelled amazing!
It really did smell amazing. And it inspired a cocktail I’ll post someday, so keep your eyes peeled.
This cake is one that I have admired for a long time. I love pears and saffron, I will definitely be trying this. Thanks for sharing!
It’s a great recipe, and really fun to make.
These looks so good…and it sounds like such a unique dessert. I love the way that you put the pears in whole… very rustic and at the same time elegant. 🙂
Thanks. Rustic and elegant… that’s exactly what I try to do here at DLK, thanks for the great compliment.
I’ve never seen anything like this! Absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks. I thought they were so beautiful too!
I think these are lovely–and I adore saffron in baked goods!
Agreed. And the beautiful color helps too.