anise-scented pear cake

I know talking about a pear cake in the middle of summer seems a bit wrong.  This time after all belongs to cherries and berries and melons and if you are lucky, mangoes too.  And I did have a berry galette in mind but as things sometimes have a way of unfolding, I found myself staring at a huge bag of pears from Costco.  I should have known better…there is only that much fruit a family of three can consume when bought in bulk.  Especially if one is also buying a melon, apples (in bulk), strawberries and a papaya – all at the same time!

I almost never bake with pears.  They seem so subtle and fragile that I fear they will just get lost when cooked.  An exception is this cake which I have been making for many, many years.  Somehow the combination of the pear and anise just works and they bring out the best in each other.  Anise reminds me very much of fennel seeds (saunf in Hindi).  Maybe a tad bit understated.  I have also used fennel seeds when out of anise and it works really well.

The recipe is from one of my favorite magazines – Cooking Light.  From my days of cooking from cookbooks and magazines and when visits to the bookstore were a much anticipated outing.  Sitting cross-legged on the floor by the bookshelves, I would spend hours poring over them and discovering new cuisines.  Of course now it is food blogs and the internet but I still have all my cookbooks.  Two entire rows of my kitchen shelves.  The magazines are long gone but not before I picked out the gems among them (like this one) and carefully put them into sheet protectors before they went into my special binder.

This is a simple cake.  No swirls and fillings and colors.  Just a light dusting of powdered sugar. Made to be had on a lazy afternoon with a cup of good tea – like a Darjeeling.  Tastes even better when shared with a friend….or friends.  This one has been sliced and packed…on its way to a weekend picnic with family and friends.

Pear-Anise Cake

Adapted from this recipe in Cooking Light

Print Recipe

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp anise seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups raw sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
1/4 cup pear sauce* ( If you cannot find pear sauce, just add another 1/4 cup of orange juice)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups chopped pears (you can use a mixture of varieties)
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Syrup:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease a tube pan/angel food pan really well and dust with a tbsp of flour.  Make sure the tube itself is also well-greased.

In a large bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, almond flour and oat flour.  Add the baking powder, crushed aniseed, salt, cinnamon and orange zest and mix well.

Put the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat them for about three minutes until thick and pale.  If using the Kitchenaid with the coated paddle attachment, pulse the sugar for just a second or two in a mixer jar otherwise the sugar will wear away the coating (been there, done that!)

Mix the orange juice, oil, pear sauce (if using) and vanilla in another bowl.

Add about a 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined.  Add 1/2 of the orange juice mixture and mix until just combined.  Repeat with the other 1/3 flour and 1/2 orange juice and end with the remaining flour mixture.

Stir in the chopped pears and walnuts (if using).

Spoon batter into the prepared pan and bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 mins.  Check with a skewer to make sure that the cake is done.

Cool on wire rack for 10 mins.  While the cake is cooling, make the syrup.  Mix the orange juice and honey in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave until it comes to a boil.

Remove cake from pan and transfer to a wire rack (After many broken cakes I came upon this helpful video on transferring cakes from tube pans).

Brush syrup all over  the warm cake and let it cool completely.

Dust with some powdered raw sugar, if needed.

*  You can use 3 cups of all-purpose flour instead of the oat and almond flours
*  I used Gerber baby food pears instead of the pear sauce
*  I have made this cake with 3 eggs too and that also works
*  To crush the anise seeds, I put them on my cutting board or counter and roll with a rolling pin.