This cake might seem complicated, but don’t be fooled. It’s as easy as 1-2-3! Make this recipe for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day or any special day. The caramel and pears are a perfect match, without being overly sweet. Serve this beautiful cake with a tasty dry white wine in the evening or a strong cup of coffee in the morning.

Recipe:

You will need 2 (8″x3″) cake tins OR 2 (9″x2″) cake tins

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 360 grams (12.5 ounces) all purpose flour; sifted
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 230 grams (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 400 grams (14 ounces) granulated sugar
• 4 large free range eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

• 3 ripe Bartlett pears; peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 oz. Clairesquares caramel
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Icing:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 1 – 8 oz. package Clairesquares pie crust

Method:

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare pans; oil and flour cake tins.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using either a wooden spoon or a mixer, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and continue to beat until light and smooth. Add eggs one at a time; beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl.
4. On low speed, alternatively add the flour mixture and milk. Begin and end with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla.
5. Divide batter evenly between cake tins and bake until cake tops are springy and golden, about 30-35 minutes.
6. Cool cakes in pans on racks for 10 minutes and invert onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Filling:

1. Wash and dry pears. Peel and slice in half lengthwise. Carefully cut out middle stems on each half and discard. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice pears; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt 8 oz. of Clairesquares caramel and ½ cup heavy cream on medium heat. Once caramel and cream have incorporated, add pear slices and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Icing:

1. Chill bowl and whisk for at least 10 minutes in freezer before whipping cream. Place 2 cups cream in chilled bowl and beat until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Pay close attention to cream, you don’t want to over whip it.

Assembly:

• Once cakes have completely cooled, carefully split cakes in half using a serrated knife.
• Place the top half of one cake face down onto cake plate and spoon 1/3 of pear filling on top, reserve ½ caramel sauce; set aside. Repeat 3 times. Place bottom half of last cake cut side down. You want the top to be as even and flat as possible.
• Using a slanted spatula, spread whipped cream around sides and top of cake.
• Now add the shortbread pie crust crumbs. Place a small amount of shortbread crumbs in your hand and carefully press onto sides of cake. Continue until all sides are well coated.
• Add the reserved caramel sauce to top of cake. Using a spoon drizzle sauce and gently spread to edges of cake so it runs down the sides.
• Place finished cake in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.