Poached Pear Cake With Marzipan Recipes

POACHED PEAR CAKE WITH MARZIPAN

Steps:

• Peel the pears with a peeler. Halve the lemon and gather the juice in a pot. Add the sugar to the lemon juice and toss in the squeezed out lemon halves. Now place the peeled pears upright in the pot with the top facing up. Now fill the pot with white wine, add the whole spices and heat everything in the pot.
• The pears should be completely covered with liquid. If your pot is too big, you may have to add more wine or water. Bring the mixture almost to a boil, then turn the temperature down and let it simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes. It shouldn't boil anymore! Turn the fruit every now and then so that they cook evenly. Then let the pears cool completely in the syrup. Drain before using in the batter.
• Preheat the oven to 170 C - 340 F
• Drain the pears on paper towels and pat dry. Cut off the rounded bottom of the poached pears so that they can stand upright in the cake pan without falling over. Grease the mold well. Heat the butter with marzipan and milk in a saucepan and cook everthing. Stir constantly using a whisk. Stir in 3 tablespoons of amaretto and allow the mix to cool.
• Mix the flour, almonds, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.
• Beat the sugar and eggs until frothy and then slowly stir in the cooled marzipan mixture. Sift the flour mixture over the batte and work it in carefully. Finally stir in the yoghurt and add another tbsp of Amaretto.
• Place pears in the springform pan.
• Pour the batter around the pears until only the slim neck of the pears peeks out.
• To bake:
• The cake has to bake for about 50 minutes -1 hour. Test for doneness after 50 minutes and cover the cake with aluminum foil after 30 minutes in the oven so that your pears don't get wrinkly!
• Drizzle the finished cake with a few tablespoons of soaking syrup.
• Serve still warm with a dusting of icing sugar!

POACHED PEARS IN RED CURRANT SAUCE WITH CHOCOLATE DECADENCE CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking soda, sugar, and cocoa powder. Place into mixing bowl.
• Put butter, oil, and water into a pot and melt over medium heat.
• When butter has melted, pour into dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Then mix on medium speed while adding eggs, 1 at a time, and then sour cream. Continue to mix only until incorporated. Pour batter into greased and papered sheet pan (8 inch by 12 inch). Bake in a preheated 375-degree F oven until firm to touch and releases from sides of the pan. Cool. Then invert onto back of another pan or onto a pastry or cutting board.
• Take a round cutter, 1/2-inch-in-diameter larger than the base of the pear. Cut out cake circles. (Save rest of cake as snacks, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.)
• Place cream in pan, place over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil. Remove immediately from stove. Pour in chopped chocolate. Stir until all chocolate pieces are melted. Cool slightly. Place cake circles on cooling rack placed on top of a pan (to catch drippings). Pour glaze over cakes, being careful to fully cover top and sides.
• Place in refrigerator to harden. Once set, take spatula and carefully remove circles. Place on papered sheet pan. Roll out marzipan and cut it into a 3/4-inch wide strip. Cut a decorative design on 1 side (like waves or triangles). Wrap the strip, straight side on the bottom around the base of each glazed cake circle.
• Place cake circle in center of dessert plate. Pour reduced cool sauce around cake enough to coat plate nicely. Place Dipped Poached Pear in center on top of cake. If desired, take edible gold leaf and place in increments around cake on sauce.
• Mix together puree, liqueur, and sugar. Pour into saucepan. Set aside.
• Peel pears, core out from bottom of pear using melon baller. Careful not to break or split the sides of the pear. Slice bottom of pear, to enable pear to stand straight up. Place pears standing up in puree mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with aluminum foil, poach until tender, approximately 8 to 10 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears.
• Remove pears from liquid and place on cooling rack. Remove poaching liquid from stove and cool.
• Once liquid is cold, place pears back into liquid and store, covered in refrigerator over night.
• Remove pears from liquid (reserve liquid for later use). Place on cooling rack to drain.
• Melt chocolate in bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once pears have drained, pat dry, and dip into the melted chocolate, approximately 1-inch up base of pear. Place on waxed paper to set chocolate.
• Place cooking liquid back into a saucepan, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer, reducing liquid to sauce consistency. Remove from stove and cool.