Like most gâteaux crafted by French home bakers, this rustic Pear Butter Cake is made extra tender with Président® butter. It’s elegant yet simple to put together. The pillowy, buttery cake is also beautiful with a layer of fresh pear slices. Served with a dollop of crème fraîche, this is the epitome of comfort baking à la française.
Pear Butter Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 grams) Président unsalted
- butter, softened
- 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) almond extract
- ¾ cup (180 grams) crème fraîche
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons (7.5 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 green Anjou pear (276 grams), cored and sliced ⅛ inch thick (about 1½ cups)
- Garnish: strained apricot preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour; line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Stir in crème fraîche. (Mixture will look like it is breaking, but it is not.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until well combined.
- Arrange pear slices in prepared pan, fanning along outer edge and then filling center. Spread batter onto pear slices, being careful not to move pear.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack; brush with apricot preserves, if desired. Let cool completely.
