Featured Recipe
Maple Pear Pudding Cake
By Kate
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A lighter take on the classic maple pudding cake with reduced sugar and a fresh pear twist. The sauce blends ripe pears simmered with maple syrup thickened with arrowroot, offering a glossy, fruity base. The cake portion uses whole wheat flour swapped for some all-purpose, less butter, and honey instead of refined sugar. Once baked, the cake forms a tender crust floating atop the bubbling sweet fruit sauce. Serve warm or cold, textures contrast from saucy to soft crumb. Small batch, 7-9 servings. Aromas evolve, and syrup bubbles give timing hints. Suitable for vegetarian diets and nut-free kitchens.
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Prep:
20 min
Cook:
45 min
Total:
Serves:
8 servings
dessert
vegetarian
nut-free
Canadian
Introduction
Maple pudding cake stripped of extra sweetness, thanks to reapplied fruit—the wholesome pear adding natural sugar and texture. The sweet sauce is not just maple and water anymore; pureed pears introduce a natural floral taste and keep the sauce bright, avoiding cloying. Swap half flour to whole wheat provides a subtle grain bite and better nutrients without collapsing cake rise. Butter reduced to keep it lighter but enough for that tender crumb with honey replacing some processed sugar gives a different but mellow depth. This is not just an easier pudding cake; it’s one with a refined flavor balance and better eating experience. Watch the bubbling and color changes closely. Understand the sauce’s simmer is a cue, not just the clock. It’s about texture, color, the scent of warming pears mingling with maple syrup. The final product is a tender cake floating on a glossy fruit base, suitable for anyone wanting a familiar dessert with less guilt and more taste complexity. Keep it vegetarian and nut-free without fuss. Always practical, never overdone.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored, chopped
- 375 ml water
- 100 ml pure maple syrup
- 12 ml arrowroot powder
- 120 g whole wheat flour
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 7.5 ml baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 40 g unsalted butter, softened
- 50 g honey
- 1 large egg
- 80 ml milk
- 2.5 ml vanilla extract
- 2.5 ml lemon zest (optional twist)
Cake
About the ingredients
Pears replace some sugar, keeping sauce natural yet sweet with fiber intact. Switch arrowroot for cornstarch or potato starch if unavailable but expect minor differences in gloss and thickness times. Whole wheat contributes a nuttier flavor and a slight denser crumb, but the inclusion of all-purpose flour ensures tenderness. Butter reduction demands careful creaming; never rush, or batter won’t trap air. Honey offers moisture and sweetness but changes browning speed; watch crust carefully. Vanilla brings aromatic lift, lemon zest optional but brightens flavors dramatically. If milk is an issue, use any milk alternative, though final texture adapts slightly. Pears must be ripe—too hard and sauce won’t puree well, too soft and sauce collapses and loses fresh bite.
Method
Sauce
- 1. Rack mid-oven; preheat to 175 °C. Not exact heat – watch sugar bubbling for best clues.
- 2. Blend pears, water, syrup in blender until very smooth. Pour into saucepan. Heat on medium. Stir steadily, coat sides so no lumps form. When it begins to simmer, sprinkle arrowroot powder dissolved in a bit of water – thickening starts quickly. Once glossy and thick, move off heat.
- 3. Pour hot sauce into a 2.5L (10-cup) baking dish. Spread evenly. Will hiss and steam off edges, signal heat is right before batter goes in.
- 4. Mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt in bowl. Sift if lumpy; a smooth batter wins every time.
- 5. Cream softened butter and honey with electric mixer until light and spongy. Avoid overbeating here or batter could curdle when eggs add.
- 6. Beat in egg fully before adding dry ingredients. Alternate dry mix with milk and vanilla (and lemon zest if using), low speed. Scrape sides to avoid pockets of flour.
- 7. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, dollop batter evenly over hot sauce. No spreading needed; it sinks in while baking. Place dish on rimmed baking sheet to catch any pesky boil-overs.
- 8. Bake 40–45 minutes. Watch color: golden crust edges, center still moist but not wet. Insert toothpick—if it pulls clean or with a few moist crumbs, done. Sauce will bubble at sides; a slow simmer sound means sugars are caramelizing nicely.
- 9. Cool 10–15 minutes; sauce thickens more as it cools but stay warm or serve room temp. Cold firms up more but loses some aroma. Scoop with care as cake is fragile when hot.
- 10. Store leftovers covered in fridge up to 3 days. Reheat gently to revive the sauce’s glossy texture.
Cake
Technique Tips
Begin with precise oven level placement; too high, the sauce might burn underneath, too low and baking uneven. Blender for sauce makes texture uniform, no choking chunks. Constant whisking on heat prevents lumps forming from arrowroot or scaling on pot bottom. Timing sauce thickness is visual: thick coats back of spoon, sheen visible, slight jiggle when cooled on a plate sample. Cooling before batter means safer pour and consistent rising. Sifting dry ingredients prevents lumpy batter, critical with whole wheat’s coarse particles. Creaming butter and honey thoroughly incorporates air to lighten more dense flours. Alternate flour and wet ingredients at low speed to avoid gluten overdevelopment which hardens cake texture. Use big scoops to create dollops on sauce; no spread—cake settles while baking. Baking plate catch drips, no mess. Internal toothpick or skewer test supersedes timers; moist crumbs—not raw—signify doneness. Cooling allows sauce to thicken into that pudding. Reheating covered softly revives sauces without drying cake. Mistakes to dodge: rushed creaming, uneven oven rack, ignoring sauce bubbling, overbaking cake until dry crust forms.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Layer flavors; ripe pears essential—too firm, sauce lacks depth. Too soft, sauce loses bite. Check ripeness. Perfect pear = perfect sauce.
- 💡 Watch bubbling sauce closely; it's key. Temperature cues texture. Clearer cues as it thickens; glossy appearance is a good sign.
- 💡 Sift dry ingredients; prevents lumps. Whole wheat flour can be gritty. Opt for fine flour for a lighter batter. Avoid over-mixing.
- 💡 Store leftovers airtight. Keep up to three days—fridge works best. Reheat gently, too hot ruins sauce. Safe warming keeps texture right.
- 💡 Bake until golden edges and moist center. Test with toothpick, it should come out clean—but not dried out. Monitor closely.
Kitchen Wisdom
Can I use other fruits in the sauce?
Yes, apples work well too. Experiment with different combinations for unique flavors.
What if I can’t find arrowroot?
Cornstarch works. Just remember, sauce changes slightly. Arrowroot gives a glossy finish.
How can I make this gluten-free?
Substitute with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Texture may differ but works.
How to prevent overbaking?
Check early; watch for bubbling sauce and golden colors. Uneven baking leads to dry cake surfaces.
