PEAR & WALNUT CAKE WITH HONEY BUTTERCREAM

It’s September! Are you as excited as I am?? The weather has finally, finally cooled off a bit, and I am itching to get back into jeans and sweaters. I’m going to try to refrain from inundating you with pumpkin recipes this year. There are so many other seasonal flavours to bake with that I think I can stay away from pumpkin this year. Or at least, I’m going to try!

I’m kicking off my favourite season with a fruit I rarely eat, never mind bake with. Truthfully, I don’t eat a lot of any fruit, but I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve bought pears in the past 5 years. I can’t explain why exactly, just that I tend to gravitate towards apples when it comes to my limited fruit consumption. I already have an Apple Pie Cake, so it was time to try something new with this Pear & Walnut Cake.

There are fresh grated pears in the cake which add a ton of moisture, and some toasted walnuts for additional flavour and some crunch. I paired it with a honey buttercream for something a bit unique, but you could leave the honey out if you like and have a simple (but delicious) vanilla buttercream.

INGREDIENTS

• Poached Pears (optional):
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 pears small, peeled
• Pear & Walnut Cake:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
• 1 cup chopped walnuts toasted
• 2 cups shredded pears approx. 2 pears, peeled, cored, and coarse shredded
• Honey Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/4 cup honey
• Assembly:
• poached pears (optional)
• chopped walnuts toasted
• US Customary - Metric

INSTRUCTIONS
Poached Pears (optional):
**NOTE** Do a day in advance.

1. Place honey, water, lemon juice, and cinnamon into a medium pot (big enough to hold the pears so they will be covered). Bring to a boil over med-high.
2. Add pears and simmer over medium until tender, turning occasionally (approx 20-30 mins depending on how firm your pears are -  insert a sharp knife to test). Do not overcook!
3. ............................

for full recipes please see : livforcake.com

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