Maple Pear Ruffle Cake Recipes

MAPLE & PEAR RUFFLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease 3 x 20cm sandwich tins, lining the bases with baking parchment and greasing the parchment too.
• To make the sponge, put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy, about 5 mins. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating until fully incorporated before adding more. In another bowl, mix the flour, cornflour, spices and baking powder. Stir in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the milk. Divide the batter among the prepared tins, smooth the surfaces and bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peeling off the parchment, to cool completely.
• For the caramelised pears, peel, core and dice them into small cubes, tossing with the lemon juice as you go. Tip into a frying pan with the maple syrup and butter, and cook over a medium-high heat until the pears have softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
• For the buttercream, put the egg whites and sugar in a large heatproof bowl (the bowl of your tabletop mixer, if you have one) and place over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk until the sugar has fully dissolved - you can test this by dipping two fingers into the bowl and rubbing them together; if you can't feel any grains of sugar, the mixture is ready. Remove the bowl from the pan and beat with an electric whisk (or use your tabletop mixer) until a thick meringue has formed. Continue whisking until the meringue has cooled to room temperature.
• Slowly beat in the butter, 1 tbsp at a time. The mixture should now look like a silky- smooth buttercream - if it doesn't, continue to whisk until it does. If it still refuses to thicken, it may be the mixture is still too warm, so chill for 10 mins, then continue whisking. Whisk in the maple syrup last.
• To assemble the cake, place the first sponge on a cake board or serving plate and spread with a thin layer of the buttercream. Top with half of the caramelised pear chunks, discarding any leftover liquid. Repeat, finishing with the third sponge.
• To finish, spread a very thin layer of the buttercream over the sides and top of the cake - this is called 'crumb-coating' (see tip). Now spread a thick layer of buttercream on top of the cake. Put the remaining buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small petal piping tip (see tip). Hold the piping bag with the wide end of the nozzle touching the side of the cake, at the very bottom. Gently wiggle the bag side to side, back and forth, in a zigzag motion, working up the cake in a strip. Repeat, starting next to the previous strip each time, working all the way around the cake until it's entirely covered. To finish, pipe 1 row of buttercream around the edge of the top of the cake (which will neaten any rough edges at the top of your zigzags). If you like a little sparkle, finish the cake with a coat of edible gold spray. Best served within 2 days of baking, but the cake will keep for up to 4 days.

MAPLE PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top.
• With a handheld or standing mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MAPLE-PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan. Toss the pear wedges with 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large bowl; set aside. Bring 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the water and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice to a simmer in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer, without stirring, until amber, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan, tilting to coat the bottom. Let cool, then top with the pears in a circular pattern.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, sour cream and maple extract in a large liquid measuring cup and stir until smooth. Beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the maple sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat until thickened, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture in two batches. The batter may look slightly curdled; keep beating and it will smooth out.
• Pour the batter into the pan over the pears and smooth the top. Bake until the top of the cake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 20 minutes in the pan. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, then invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

MAPLE PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When the mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top. With a handheld or standing mixer, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread the batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEAR MAPLE JOHNNYCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
• Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Brush a 9-inch cake pan (2 inches deep) with 1 tablespoon melted butter and reserve 6 tablespoons in a small bowl. Sprinkle sugar evenly over butter remaining in skillet. Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, then turn pears over and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook until liquid pears give off has evaporated and cut sides are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Transfer pears, cut sides down, to cake pan.
• Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl. Whisk in milk, syrup, eggs, and reserved butter just until smooth. Pour over pears and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then run a knife around edge of cake to loosen and invert onto a platter.

MAPLE PEARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until pears are tender., In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Serve with warm pears.

MAPLE-PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bring syrup to a boil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat; arrange pears in pan in a spokelike fashion.
• Place pan over medium-high heat, and cook until syrup thickens (about 4 minutes), gently shaking pan frequently.
• Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
• Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt); stirring well with a whisk.
• Place sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 2 minutes).
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Pour batter evenly over pear mixture in prepared pan; wrap handle of skillet with foil.
• Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
• Run a knife around outside edge.
• Cool in pan 5 minutes.
• Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate.
• Serve warm.

MAPLE CHEESECAKE WITH ROASTED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup; beat until smooth. In a medium bowl, beat cream and sugar on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, stir about one-third the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, then fold in remainder. Transfer to crust and refrigerate until firm, 3 hours (or up to 1 day).
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange pear slices in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Roast until pears are soft, 20 minutes. Remove from oven and heat broiler. Brush pears with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and broil until browned in spots, about 4 minutes, rotating sheet frequently. Let cool. To serve, arrange pear slices, overlapping slightly, on cheesecake.