I can’t get over how good this cake smells. Even when I woke up this morning I could smell it as soon as I got near the kitchen. After it came out of the oven I made buttery orange sauce which you can see soaked into the cake (and also soaking in my coworkers arteries).
Asian Pear-Vanilla-Orange Cake
Ingredients
3 Asian Pears
4 Eggs
2 Oranges
1 Vanilla Bean
2 1/4 cup Sugar
3 cup AP Flour
1 tbs Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
1tsp of each Cinnamon, Allspice, Ground Ginger
1 cup Canola Oil
Ingredients
3 Asian Pears
4 Eggs
2 Oranges
1 Vanilla Bean
2 1/4 cup Sugar
3 cup AP Flour
1 tbs Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
1tsp of each Cinnamon, Allspice, Ground Ginger
1 cup Canola Oil
(preheat oven to 350)
1. Peel and core the Asian pears. Cut them in simple slices as if they were an apple. Set aside.
2. In stand mixer whisk eggs for 2 minutes, until pale in color. Add the zest and juice of the 2 oranges. Slice the vanilla bean down the center and scrape seeds. Add seeds to mixer.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment in your mixer and add all dry ingredients.
4. Slowly add oil until the batter looks shiny and ‘wet’.
5. Grease a bundt pan with butter then tap a little flour in there and evenly distribute.
6. Add 1/3 of your batter to the bundt pan. Next lay flat 1/2 of your pears in the pan, trying to cover all the batter. Do this again with batter, pears, and the last layer will be batter.
(I added some sliced almonds to the top of my cake but it really didn’t do anything flavor wise, Next time I may add some orange zest, pecans and brown sugar)
7. Bake for 90 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool in its pan on a rack. After 30 minutes you can turn the bundt pan over (loosen the edges with a knife if necessary).
2. In stand mixer whisk eggs for 2 minutes, until pale in color. Add the zest and juice of the 2 oranges. Slice the vanilla bean down the center and scrape seeds. Add seeds to mixer.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment in your mixer and add all dry ingredients.
4. Slowly add oil until the batter looks shiny and ‘wet’.
5. Grease a bundt pan with butter then tap a little flour in there and evenly distribute.
6. Add 1/3 of your batter to the bundt pan. Next lay flat 1/2 of your pears in the pan, trying to cover all the batter. Do this again with batter, pears, and the last layer will be batter.
(I added some sliced almonds to the top of my cake but it really didn’t do anything flavor wise, Next time I may add some orange zest, pecans and brown sugar)
7. Bake for 90 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool in its pan on a rack. After 30 minutes you can turn the bundt pan over (loosen the edges with a knife if necessary).
Orange Glaze 
1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
As you can see from the picture I used an orange butter sauce and not the glaze. I would have much rather made the glaze but it was 1am and I had no powdered sugar and I couldn’t go to sleep with an incomplete cake in the kitchen.
Kyle went to the Mavs game last night and I wanted a night of baking, hanging out with my friend Maria, and HBO. For dinner I decided to have a healthy green smoothie with some of my left over Asian Pears. I’m new to the smoothie ‘juicing’ trend so mine are pretty safe for now but soon I will get crunk with some flaxseed oil and liquid vitamins.
Natalie’s Crunk Green Smoothie
1 1/2 cups Spinach
1/2 Asian Pear
1 Banana
handful Goji berries
1 container nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 cups Spinach
1/2 Asian Pear
1 Banana
handful Goji berries
1 container nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup milk
I have a Vitamix blender so I could add a stapler to that and it would be smooth. I blend all that until it is a nice smooth consistency, then I add ice until it is the thickness I like.
I don’t really like spinach at all so this is a good way for me to get some good raw vegetables without even tasting them. I also get 2 servings of fruit and dairy in this. And like I said in my last post, goji berries are the #1 superfood in the world right now, so why not add them?
