Featured Recipe
Pear Caramel Cake with Cream Cheese Whip
By Kate
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Layered dessert with buckwheat biscuit crust, tender poached pears in maple, dulce de leche-infused caramel cream. Cream cheese chantilly lightly sweetened and scented with tonka bean extract. Optional shards of tempered dark chocolate add crunch. Uses gelatin for clean set. Balance of textures, with soft fruit, creamy custard, crisp crust, and airy topping. Key: watch caramel cream thickness, avoid overwhip on chantilly, spot poached fruit tenderness by fork test, and chill times. Substitutes include oat crust base, agave syrup for maple, or mascarpone in chantilly. Chocolate optional but adds bitter note to offset sweet layers.
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Prep:
45 min
Cook:
40 min
Total:
Serves:
10 servings
French-Canadian
Dessert
Layered Cake
Special Occasion
Introduction
Textural contrast weighing in. Soft, delicate poached pears simmered gently in real maple syrup, not just sweetness but with bright, woody aroma. Layered over toasted oat and buckwheat crust that snaps gently under teeth. A creamy caramel custard with gelatin for a stable but yielding set, infused with dulce de leche’s molasses sweetness. Topping is a refined chantilly whipped with cream cheese and subtly scented with tonka bean, rarely used but worth seeking—it gives an unexpected fragrance and texture lift. Dark chocolate shards optional but recommended; add that bitter bite and crisp snap. Timing is texture-dependent—watch for soft pears but intact pieces, custard thick but not brittle, cream light but stable. Technique: no shortcuts on chilling; patience pays. Knife dipped in hot water guarantees clean cuts. Flavor layers build with chilling and mellow overnight. If you must skip gelatin, agar agar alternatives are dry, so adjust expectations accordingly.
Ingredients
Crust
- 80 g (2/3 cup) oat biscuit crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
- 35 g (2 1/2 tbsp) buckwheat flour
- 35 g (2 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 12 ml (3 tsp) sugar
- 1 ml (1/4 tsp) fine sea salt
- 65 ml (1/4 cup) maple syrup
- 5 firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, diced
- 6 ml (1 1/4 tsp) powdered gelatin
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) cold water
- 240 ml (1 cup) 35% whipping cream
- 100 ml (1/2 cup) dulce de leche or caramel sauce
- 50 g (1 3/4 oz) dark chocolate, melted and tempered
- 1 block 250 g cream cheese, softened
- 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 3 ml (1/2 tsp) tonka bean extract or vanilla extract
- 90 ml (6 tbsp) heavy cream
Pears
Caramel Cream
Dark Chocolate Shards (optional)
Chantilly
About the ingredients
Buckwheat flour gives that rustic, nutty edge to the crust. If unavailable, use all-purpose or spelt flour, but crust will be softer and less flavorful. Butter must be fresh for best flavor—clarified can be used but changes texture slightly. Maple syrup gives a distinct aroma and sweetness; dark agave or honey can replace but flavor shifts. Dulce de leche should be thick and rich. If homemade, start with sweetened condensed milk, cook slowly low heat until golden. Gelatin blooming is key for smooth caramel cream set; don’t skip resting the gelatin in water, or it won’t dissolve properly when combined with hot cream—lumps and strings will ruin texture. Cream cheese should be fully softened to avoid lumps in chantilly and ensure smooth whip. Tonka bean extract is rare but imparts a unique almond-vanilla-floral scent; pure vanilla or almond extract are fine substitutes—adjust quantity to taste. Chocolate shards improve textural interplay and add bitter counterpoint, but if budget or preference omits them, toasted pecans or walnuts add crunch and no tempering skills wasted.
Method
Crust
- Position oven rack mid-level. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line with parchment, leaving overhang on two sides for easier removal.
- In a bowl, combine crumbs, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt. Add melted butter, stir until crumbly but pressable. If too dry, add splash cold water, too wet, add crumbs. Press firmly into bottom of pan with back of a spoon or bottom of glass - pack dense but not crushed.
- Bake about 12 minutes. Look for golden edges and faint aroma of toasted buckwheat. Remove, let cool until just warm but firm. Don’t skip cooling or crust may break when adding filling.
- In a medium saucepan, bring maple syrup to gentle boil over medium heat. Add diced pears. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until pears soften but hold shape and liquid evaporation done - roughly 12-17 minutes. Texture test: pears pierce easily but not mushy. Syrup should be syrupy, not watery.
- Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
- Reserve 180 ml (3/4 cup) pears with syrup. In a food processor or blender, puree reserved pears until silky smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Refrigerate until needed.
- Scatter remaining diced poached pears evenly over cooled crust.
- Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl. Bloom for 5–7 minutes until gelatin swells absorb majority of liquid.
- Heat cream in a small saucepan just to boil. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in gelatin until fully dissolved—no granules visible, smooth surface.
- Add dulce de leche, whisk until uniform. It should be pourable but starting to thicken, silk-coat back of spoon. Pour evenly over pears in pan, gently tap pan to spread and remove air bubbles.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours to firm. Check firmness by lightly pressing surface; a slight give but no wobble means ready.
- Line baking sheet with parchment. Spread tempered dark chocolate thinly with offset spatula (2–3 mm thick).
- Chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Break into shards with sharp knife or fingers. Keep refrigerated until assembly.
- In chilled bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar and tonka bean extract using electric mixer on medium speed until sugar dissolves and texture is creamy, about 3 minutes.
- With mixer still running, pour in cold whipping cream bit by bit. Increase speed to medium-high. Whip just to soft peaks—stop when cream clings but still silky and smooth. Avoid overwhipping: cream will turn grainy and puddle of liquid forms if passed stiff peak stage.
- Transfer to piping bag fitted with Saint-Honoré or star tip.
- Remove set caramel cream with pears from fridge. Pipe chantilly generously over surface in rosettes or waves to cover evenly.
- Dot with small stars or rosettes of pear purée from reserved bag, contrasting in pale yellow color and silky texture.
- Scatter chocolate shards over top for texture contrast and visual interest.
- Cover and refrigerate 3–4 hours or overnight. Tastes better after chilling allows flavors to marry.
- Before serving, remove from fridge 20–30 minutes to soften chantilly and expose aromas.
- Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan onto a serving board. Slice with a hot knife—dip blade in hot water and wipe between cuts to get smooth edges.
- Serve chilled but not cold; texture and flavors bloom when slightly warmed.
- Oat biscuit crumbs work well for crust and are more common; buckwheat adds slight earthiness but can be omitted.
- If dulche de leche unavailable, substitute by heating sweetened condensed milk with pinch salt until golden thick caramel forms—allow to cool before use.
- Tonka bean extract is less common but adds intriguing floral, vanilla-like notes; vanilla or almond extract acceptable substitutes.
- No gelatin? Use agar agar but beware it sets firmer and faster—test with small batch.
- Overcooked poached pears lose shape and look mushy; adjust simmer time accordingly.
- Whip chantilly cream gradually with cream cheese to avoid curdling or lumps.
- Chocolate shards can be replaced by toasted nuts, brittle pieces, or omitted to keep simpler.
- Store leftovers tightly covered to keep chantilly from drying out.
- Variations: swap pears for apples poached with cinnamon or poached quince for seasonal twist.
Pears
Caramel Cream
Chocolate Shards
Chantilly
Assembly
=Tips and Substitutions=
Technique Tips
Pack crust tightly but don’t over-press, or texture turns cake-like instead of crisp. Bake until edges turn slightly darker—medium gold signals it’s done, avoid dark browning which can taste bitter. For pears, the simmer should be long enough that juice reduces and thickens, coats spoon softly. Fork test: fruit should break gently, not fall apart. Purée reserved pears smoothly; keep refrigerated or purée will oxidize and darken. For caramel cream, use instant bloom gelatin to prevent grit. Bring cream to boil just once—overheating causes fat separation, affecting mouthfeel. Whisk gelatin in off heat to avoid scalding. Incorporate dulce de leche carefully, ensuring uniform color and texture. Pour gently over fruit to avoid displacing pieces. Let set undisturbed for at least 2 hours; chill longer if needed.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Crust must be compact but not overdone. Pack until firm. Too tight? Changes the texture from crisp to cake-like. Bake until edges color. Golden, not brown.
- 💡 Simmer pears low and slow. They should soften but not lose shape. Test with fork; pierce easily but hold together. Syrup must be thick, reduces nicely.
- 💡 Don’t rush the cooling process. Let crust chill. Hot crust? It breaks under weight of filling. For purée, blend just until silky. Refrigerate or oxidizes.
- 💡 Gelatin’s a must for caramel cream set. Bloom in cold water. Prevent gritty texture. Heat cream to boil just once for best results. No lump should remain.
- 💡 Whipping chantilly requires chilled tools and ingredients. Cream cheese should be soft. Avoid lumps during mixing. Stop just before stiff peaks form, silky consistency wins.
