Tasteful Recipe: Pear Honey Cake
Put this Pear Honey Cake on your "Honey-Do" list, as it's sure to satisfy any fruit fetish or sweet tooth! 

Cincy Chic teamed up with TASTE Magazine — your source for Food, Drink, Fashion and Style — to provide you with recipes, food/drink related editorial and their extensive restaurant guides. This recipe comes from a TASTE contributor, to (hopefully) a plate near you!

Pear Honey Cake
Yields Two 8" x 4" loaves

Ingredients
3 Cups pears, peeled, cored and cubed into small pieces (about 2 large pears)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or Fruit Fresh
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon 5-spice blend (you can find this in the recipe link)
2/3 Cup margarine or butter
3/4 Cup light brown sugar, packed
4 Large eggs
2/3 Cup orange blossom honey
1 1/4 Cups pitted, chopped dates (one 8-ounce bag)
1 1/2 Teaspoons orange zest

Glaze for Honey Cake Ingredients
1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
2 Teaspoons Brandy
2 Teaspoons Orange Juice or more for spreading consistency

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour two 8" x 4" x 3" loaf pans.
• Place the pears in a medium bowl and cover with the lemon juice or fruit fresh.
• Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking soda and five-spice blend (see below) together. Set aside.
• Add the margarine or butter and sugar into the large bowl of your electric mixer. Cream together on medium high speed until very smooth and light in color.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
• Slowly pour in the honey. Turn to low speed.
• Add the sifted dry ingredients in three parts, to the egg mixture, just until it disappears each time.
• Turn the mixer to medium high and beat everything three to five minutes.
• Fold the pears, dates and orange zest into the batter.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling each no more than half way.
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
• Cool in the pans 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove and finish cooling on a cake rack.
• To prepare the glaze, combine the sugar and brandy in a small bowl.
• Add just enough orange juice to obtain the consistency of thick syrup.
• Drizzle over the top and sides of the cakes.
• Serve.

Chef's note: If planning to freeze the honey cakes, glaze them just before serving.

PHOTO CREDITS:
Photo: Courtesy of My Recipes

Zell Schulman
		About the author:
		Zell Schulman is an accomplished author and contributor for TASTE Magazine.
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Last update: 16-09-2008 10:22

Published in : Magazine Items, Recipes