Pear cake with honey and lemon

      

Original and with a lot of flavours, this recipe is Camille Lesecq's recipe, pastry Chef of Le meurice, Paris. I changed a few things in the recipe, because I've baked it a few times already.

- did I get fat ? -

Really soft and tender, it can be made in a meat loaf pan,

it has always been a huge success :)

For 6 people

   You will need :   

Pears

2 pears

3.5 oz of honey (100g)

- pine honey -

2.8 oz of butter (80gr)

- Camille Lesecq puts 3.5 oz -

the dough

4.2 oz of white sugar (120gr)

1.8 oz of butter (50gr)

4.4 oz of flour (125gr)

1.7 fl oz of milk (5cL)

1.7 fl oz of olive oil (5cL)

- Camille Lesecq puts 2.5 fl oz -

- you can use vegetal oil if you prefer -

2 eggs

1 grated lemon zest

3tbsp of lemon juice

0.2 oz of baking powder (6gr)

Prepare the pears

In a casserole, melt the butter with the honey on low heat.

Rinse, peal the pears and remove the heart with the seeds. Cut them in dice of 1/2 inch

- Camille Lesecq cuts them in 8, not in dice -

Add them to the melted butter, cover and let it cook at medium heat for 20 minutes.

Let it cool down in the butter sauce. They must be translucid. Set aside.

Turn the oven on at 375°F

Prepare the cake

Beat the sugar with the egss and the lemon zest for at least 3 minutes,

it must be light and foamy

Pour the milk slowly while stirring

Integrate the flour and the baking powder with a wooden spoon 

by doing small circular movements from the center

Finally, stir the lemon juice, the melted butter and the oil

By hand, stir it all together 2 to 3 minutes. Set Aside

Dry of the pears with a colander, use a clean absorbent paper to remove delicatly the excedient butter

In a buttered pan (you can use the butter +honey sauce to butter it), pour 2/3 of the dough, them place the pears carefully with a spoon, and pour the rest of the dough on top of them

- Camille Lesecq puts the pears aside the cake, but I like it better in it -

Put in the oven for 35 to 50 minutes, depending on your mold

Check the cooking by inserting a clean and smooth knife in the middle of the cake, 

it must come out clean

Thanks to Camille for this recipe, the first time I made it, I followed all the instructions, it had 300 gr of butter in it (12oz of butter...)

It's a bit too much butter for me :D

"Cake aux poires juste confites" is the exact name of that cake

Halloween recipe, a soft and tender pain d'épice (gingerbread)

Le Pain d'épices from Vovoi's cookbook :) Special Halloween season recipe !

It's a pretty classic cake, especially around halloween time ! The warmness of the mild spices as honey, anis and ginger are perfect for the autumn when the weathr gets cooler.

 I had never made one before, I thought I didn't like it, obviously I was wrong !

It's a light recipe, with no butter 

The cake is soft and tender, really tasty and smells really good.

I love it with my caffeine free tea, the honey has a lot of charm, and it mostly tastes like honey :)

The dough has to rest 1 hour, but beside that it's really quick-made cake, 5 minutes top.

For one big cake pan or two small ones :

  You will need :   

8.5 oz of flour (less than 2 cup / 240gr)

1tsp of baking soda

1/2 cup of white sugar (4.2 oz / 120gr)

4.4 fl oz. of milk (12 à 14cL)

- I've put whole milk -

1.4 to 1.8 oz of honey ( 2 big tbsp / 40 à 50gr)

1 big pinch of anis

a hint of ginger

In a bowl, put the flour, the sugar th baking soda and the milk,

blend it with a wooden spoon, cover with a wet napkin and let it rest for 1h

After 1 hour, turn on the oven at 275°F,

Add the hony and the spices, mix

Butter the cake pan, if it's a metallic one (non-silicone) butter & flour it

Fill the cakepan by half and put in the oven

It will double its size, the middle of th cake will rise at the end of the cooking.

It took mine 35/40 minutes of cooking, in 2 small silicones cake pan.

For metallic cakepans, it will be quicker, check the cooking after 25 minutes 

by inserting a clean and smooth knife in the middle, it has to go out clean.

For one big cakepan, it can be slower (like 50 minutes) 

you will have to check every 5 minutes after 30 minutes of cooking.