Foto:Mari Eriksson
This cake is pure heaven! I know I say that about everything I show you here on the blog but this is truly the best piece of cake I have tasted in a long while. I also admit that there are a few steps to go through before you can take a bite into this pure delight. But it is so worth your while and I will help you through every step. For this recipe I also made home made pumpkin puree. Very easy nothing to worry about and it taste so much better that something that comes out of a jar. I even doubt that we have caned pumpkin here in Sweden like many other countries has. We haven’t yet been bitten by the pumpkin crazy. I don’t know why because pumpkin is now one of my favorite food. But I first realized that when I lived in Australia. I roast it to go with my lamb or puree it to have in my cakes. I always use butternut which is my favorite.
How I made home made pumpkin puree:
Trim off the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half through the top. Remove all the seeds and stringiness from the center of each pumpkin half. Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down on a sheet tray. Placing them cut-side down keeps the pumpkin moist without needing to add oil. Roast for about 45 minutes, until the skin is dark and puckered. Flip the pumpkin halves over. The pumpkin should be very soft. Scoop all the pumpkin out of the skin with a spoon when it has cooled enough to be handled , then transfer to a food processor. Puree for about 30 seconds until completely smooth. Now the pumpkin puree is ready to use!
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
1 cups light brown sugar
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups canola oil
7 oz pumpkin puree
1 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups canola oil
7 oz pumpkin puree
1 cup ground almonds
Frosting:
300ml double cream
250g mascarpone cheese, softened
250g mascarpone cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon powdered sugar
Poached pear:
6 pears just ripe
1 lemon peeled and cut into thin strips and the juice
2 cups rosé wine water
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar or muscavado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 star anise
2 whole cinnamon sticks
Instructions
Preheat the oven 175° C/ 350°F. Prepare your baking pan by coating with cooking spray or butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until light and frothy. Beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture in two additions, until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin (See my recipe above) and ground almonds.
Pour the batter into a springform pan and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then lower the temperature to 150° C/ 325°F and bake for another 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.
When the cake is baked, remove from oven. Let it sit until cooled completely. Remove from baking pan. Invert onto your wire rack or serving plate. Wrap the cake well and refrigerate until ready to frost. This can be done a day or two in advance.
Make the frosting by whipping together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Make sure not to overbeat.
Peel pears and cut a thin slice off the bottom of the pears so they can stand upright, keep stalks attached. Place sugar, wine, water, lemon juice and peel, anise and cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low simmer for 5 min. Add pears and gently simmer for 20 min turn them occasionally so that all of the pear get covered by the liquid.
Frost the cake, put the pears on top and drizzel the cooled poaching liquid over the whole cake. Dust with extra cinnamon.
Enjoy!!
All the best
Mari
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