Mini Poached Pear Cardamom Cakes

Name: Mini Poached Pear Cardamom Cakes
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 3 cakes
Ingredients: 2 eggs; 1 Cup (180 g) Brown Sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 1/3 Cups (180 g) All Purpose Flour flour; 5 Tbsp (75 g) Unsalted Butter, melted; 1/3 Cup (70 g) Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk; 1 tsp Cardamom powder; 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon; ¼ tsp kosher salt; 3 Ripe Bosch Pears; 1 Cup (250 ml) Water; 1 bottle white wine of choice; 1 cup granulated sugar; 3 Cinnamon Sticks; 8 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature); 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup; 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract; 1 Cup (125 g) Powdered Sugar; ¼ Cup (60 ml) Vanilla Almond Milk; Pinch of Cinnamon and Nutmeg for sprinkling

Cardamom Cakes scream fall to me, especially when its paired with Poached Pears and Maple Cream. I’ve been waiting for the first leaf to fall so I could start baking with Autumn spices. The calendar may say early September and it may still be hot outside, but its all spices and pears in my kitchen.

This recipe is a slight adjustment from what I had planned to make. For the past two years I’ve been making this cake as a loaf with the whole pears baked in a row down the center. Everything looks beautiful and taste delicious. However, if you so much as attempt to lift the loaf cake, those pears want to fall right through. (heavy little suckers!). I found the initial look to be appealing, though its function not so great for serving. Modification here we come!

I’m planning to make a dessert for a family holiday get together later this year and I thought, what would look better…a sad little slice with part of a pear, or your own personal mini cake with a whole pear and extra maple cream? Ding ding, we like personal desserts in my family!! Hence the creation of the Mini Poached Pear Cardamom Cakes. I’m now armed for future holiday battle with a tasty and beautiful spice cake.

Tips for Poached Pears

Choose pears equal in size and not super large with beautiful stems.
Peel your pears leaving the stem intact.
Use white wine for a light colored poached pear and red wine for reddish pink colored poached pear. (for this recipe I used white wine)
Once the wine has started to bubble and the sugar is dissolved, let your pears simmer for about 30-40 minutes.
Gently remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel, stem up to absorb any extra runoff liquid.
Gently place pears on top of cakes with finger tips.

Tips for the Cardamom Cakes

Use three mini 4 inch spring form cake pans or regular 4 inch cake pans.
Whip eggs and sugar together until fluffy before adding to flour mixture to create a smooth batter.
Adjust the amount of cinnamon and cardamom to your personal spice level preference.
Let cakes cool in tin 10-15 minutes before removing.
Cake tops can be cut while still warm once removed from tins.
Take a 1 1/2 inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to remove a 1/4 -1/2 deep circle from the top center of each cake. I press just enough to cut the shape of the circle and then remove gently with a spoon. Take out just enough cake for your pear to rest comfortably on top.

Tips for Maple Cream

Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature to prevent clumping.
Beat the cream cheese vanilla and maple syrup together on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.
Add powdered sugar slowly and beat until thick frosting is formed.
Pour almond milk while on medium speed and whisk until desired consistency.
More milk will create a thinner cream. (I use just enough milk to make it pourable, but not a thin liquid)
Pour maple cream onto over the pear and sprinkle a dusting of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

5 from 2 votes