Name: Marzipan Cake with Pears Poached in Red Wine
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 10 serving(s)
Ingredients: 3 cups (750 ml) red wine; 3/4 cup (180 ml) sugar; 1 small stick cinnamon; 5 ripe but firm Bartlett or Anjou pears; 3/4 cup (180 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) baking powder; 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened; 1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar; 7 oz (200 g) marzipan (sweetened almond paste), cut into small cubes; 3 eggs

Preparation

Poached Pears
- In a saucepan, bring the wine, sugar and cinnamon to a boil. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
- Peel the pears, taking care not to remove the stem. Cut the pears and stems in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller, scoop out the cores.
- Slip the pears into the simmering red wine mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate the pears in the red wine mixture until chilled, about 5 hours or overnight.
Cake
- With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a 20-cm (8-inch) springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the marzipan, a few cubes at a time. Beat until nearly smooth, about 4 minutes (don’t worry if a few small chunks of marzipan remain). Add the eggs one at a time and beat until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients.
Assembly
- Drain the pears and pat them dry with paper towels. Reserve the poaching liquid for another use.
- Arrange the pear halves around the edge of the pan, standing them upright with their cut sides against the side (trim the bottoms if necessary to keep the pears from falling over). Scrape the cake batter into the centre of the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 75 minutes. Cover the stems with aluminum foil if necessary to keep them from burning. Let cool for 10 minutes. Unmould and let cool on a rack.

Marzipan Cake with Pears Poached in Red Wine

Categories

Ingredients

Poached Pears

Cake

Preparation

Poached Pears

Cake

Assembly

Personal Note