Fresh Pear Cake

Delicious, moist and irresistible. Perfect for the season. Definitely
 a new favorite. Made from pears freshly picked
 from the Brenner Ranch.

The Ingredients

4 cups finely chopped fresh pears

(peeled and cored)

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze ~ 1 cup of powdered sugar, 3-4 tablespoons of cream, and a dash of pure vanilla extract. Combine all ingredients, adding a little cream at a time until the glaze is the right consistency for a beautiful drizzle.

The Process

Combine the pears, sugar and nuts in a large bowl. Mix occasionally and let stand for one hour. The mixture will become more syrupy as the sugar melts and the pears release their juices. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan. Now add the dry ingredients to the pear mixture. No need to sift. No need for an electric mixer. Simply add the dry ingredients to the pear mixture and stir to combine. Now, this seems weird, but next, add the liquid ingredients. The oil, eggs and extract. Honestly, it just does not seem right, but you will have to trust me on this. It will look strange and it will seem that the oil won't blend into the batter. But you will find, voila'! . . . It blends nicely. Don't overmix. Just stir well until blended. Spoon or pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Start watching closely after one hour. I actually took mine out after 1 hour and 5 minutes and it was perfecto. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for awhile. Maybe 20-30 minutes or so. Invert it onto a wire rack and then, turn it right side up again. Poke holes into the cake with a wooden skewer or a fork or a toothpick. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake and let it drip down the sides. Don't you just LOVE that? Allow it to cool a little further before digging in. Everyone will love this cake and it's baker. Enjoy! Click HERE for the printable version of this recipe!

Peace & Pears, Love, Katie