Saffron Pear Cake
Like any dessert aficionado, I appreciate a wide range of sweets, from delicate tarts to basic sheet cakes. That said, I prefer to leave the fancier stuff to the true experts. I’m happily content to bake this saffron pear cake and call it a day.
Saffron Pear Cake
Elaborate cakes like an opera cake are fun to make once in a blue moon, but they can take a fair amount of time. That’s why I try to share simpler cake recipes on the blog too that are just as exquisite but require half (or a quarter of) the amount of effort.
This saffron pear cake exemplifies this concept perfectly.
I use saffron quite a bit in my cooking, mostly because it adds something special to my dishes, but also because I have unlimited access to it. You may recall that I mentioned my parents are entrepreneurs and own their own business. They created the first saffron spray,[easyazon_link identifier=”B00O7ZOJEM” locale=”US” tag=”monpetitfour-20″]Spray ‘N’ Serve® Saffron[/easyazon_link], to ever hit the market, revolutionizing the way saffron can be used by home cooks.
Traditionally, saffron comes in thread (and sometimes powdered) form. It’s very costly, and often misused. The best way to get the most out of your saffron is to grind it up into a powder and dissolve it in a hot liquid. The problem is, once you do this, you only have a couple of days to use the saffron until it loses its potency.
It’s also a bit of an extra step to take while cooking and can get a little messy (and expensive!), so most recipes just have you drop the threads directly into whatever you’re creating. To solve this problem, my parents dissolved pure saffron in purified water, then packaged this natural, ready-made saffron liquid in a non-aerosol [easyazon_link identifier=”B00O7ZOJEM” locale=”US” tag=”monpetitfour-20″]spray can[/easyazon_link].
The saffron lasts about 2 years with this method and can be used at the cook’s convenience, whenever they want. It’s the reason why I can not only afford saffron on a consistent basis, but it’s also why I can add it to any recipe I want at the press of a nozzle.
If you’ve never had saffron, it’s got a slightly floral, honey-like aroma that adds subtle flavor to any dish. That flavor can be a bit hard to describe, and in that sense, I like to equate it to butter; it noticeably makes food taste better, but you can’t really pinpoint what that flavor is (except saffron has 0 calories and butter has well…a lot!).
The French love saffron and use it quite a bit. You can easily find saffron at even the smallest of markets in Paris. When I thought about making a gâteau aux poires (pear cake), I knew saffron would be the perfect addition.
Pears are obviously a naturally sweet treat, but the bosc pears that are available during the fall have a distinct floral quality to them. I knew that the pears would highlight the sweet, floral notes of saffron and pair beautifully in this saffron pear cake.
The cake itself is a butter cake at heart, extremely moist and tender. It’s a one bowl kind of recipe that bakers of all levels can create. You don’t need a fancy pastry degree under your belt, but you’ll still get the satisfaction of making a cake from scratch.
The sweet scent of butter and sugar permeating your kitchen, licking the extra batter off your spatula, and adding personal touches that make a dessert your own are all pleasures you’ll still experience with a simple recipe like this.
For this saffron pear cake, I decided to do something a little different with my arrangement of pears. Rather than placing them in a radial pattern as most French cakes do, I decided to fan out the pear slices off to one side and leave the stem intact for a more rustic, artisan approach. I love when my baked goods look refined, yet clearly made at home with love.
This saffron pear cake is perfect for afternoon tea, dessert, or even breakfast; you won’t be sorry you made this!
Saffron Pear Cake
A butter cake infused with the flavor of saffron and embedded with pear slices.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 to 5 spritzes of Spray ’N’ Serve® Saffron Spray, or .25 g saffron threads
- 1 bosc pear, keeping the stem intact, peeled, cored, and cut in half
- 1/4 cup marmalade or apricot preserves to brush on as a glaze, slightly warmed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, or in a small saucepan. If you’re using raw saffron threads, then go ahead and warm the milk too, then add the saffron threads to this mixture to dissolve. Otherwise, simply combine the milk with the melted butter in a small bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and sugar together until it’s pale yellow. Whisk in the melted butter and milk.
- Add the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk to combine.
- Spray the saffron spray 4 to 5 times (holding the nozzle down for a couple of seconds each time) directly into the batter and whisk. You want the batter to change from its pale yellow color to a slightly darker orange-ish yellow.
- Line the bottom of a 6 inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease the paper and sides of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake the cake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grab the pear half whose stem is still intact, and carefully make vertical cuts through the pear, starting just a little bit below the stem (you want the pear slices to remain connected to the stem). Gently fan out the slices.
- Pull the cake out of the oven after the 10 minutes are up and place the fanned out pear slices off to one side. Then put the cake back in the oven to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake slightly cool in the pan for 10 minutes before gently flipping it out of the pan. Brush the cake with the warm preserves and let the cake rest until it’s completely cool.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 359
That cake looks beautifully light, Beeta! Adding saffron is such a lovely idea, you always inspire me to try something new! x
Aww thank you so much, Louise! I so appreciate your sweet and thoughtful words <3
What a lovely little cake! Saffron is such a warm and interesting spice, and you rarely see it with sweet foods. I’d love to eat this for breakfast. Thanks for the unique idea!
Hi Coley! Thank you so much! I agree; I think saffron is such a unique and lovely spice. Adds beautiful flavor without being overwhelming. It’s great in desserts! Hope you get a chance to try, and thank you for stopping by! XO
Beeta these are gorgeous!! I’ve never really thought to use saffron in baking but you’ve really inspired me! I would happily eat this cake any time of the day!
hope you’re having a lovely week 🙂 xx
Thanks so much, Bec! I can eat cake any time in the day too! 😉 Saffron is so great in baking – really adds some elegant oomph to desserts <3
I am new to saffron. I just started using it, but mostly in Indian recipes. This recipe and your parents’ business idea are genius.
I am going to have to try the pear and saffron combination some time soon. And buttery cakes.. I LOVE! 🙂
Thank you, Aysegul! Yes there’s lot of saffron in Indian cuisine. If you enjoy rice dishes, there is a saffron mixed lentil rice shared on the spray’s site (allnaturalquest.com/recipes) that I think you would just love!! And the pear and saffron are great together – I hope you get a chance to try! XO
Ohhhh, I am in love with this cake, Beeta! No doubt pears are at the top of my Fall and Winter favorites, so anything that incorporates them has my vote, especially in sweet applications. This cake mesmerized me from the moment I saw it. Rustic yet elegant; pears have a way to translate that feeling. I use saffron occasionally. I love it, but it IS so expensive (I feel like I need to put it in a safe! ha!). Thank you for the tip on grinding it too… I didn’t know this. The saffron spray your folks developed sounds amazing! I’ve gotta get my hands on some! Thank you for this my dear! Delicious work!
Thank you so much, Traci! I totally agree – pears are so rustic and yet so elegant at the same time <3 And actually I noticed in a lot of the stores that carry the jars that have more than a gram of saffron, they keep the saffron locked up in the front! lol Hope you get a chance to try the spray – I think you’d love it! XO
Well isn’t that just prettiest cake ever! Saffron and pear? What a mouthwatering combination. It looks beautiful Beeta!
Thank you so much, Jess! Saffron does really well with pear – I think it’s because of their floral notes! XO
Woooowww Beeta, this is such a gorgeous cake! The pear on the top is stunning! The saffron spray sounds delicious too. Such an amazing combination of flavours <3 xx
Thank you, Harriet!! It really is a lovely combo together <3
Beeta, I only today discovers your blog (through Nagi’s site where you gave a reference regarding her food photography book). I must confess, I’m amazed at your recipes and your photography too. Specifically, it was this cake that prompted me to write: -)
It can not be more ‘French’: -)
Will do it this Sunday! Was just wondering… Would it be an idea to use those pears that the French call ‘poires confites’ – those pears that they leave in sugar-strop to soak and develop aromas. I have some and thought maybe I could use them here…
Or the recipe works preferably with fresh pears?
Thank you so much!
I’m very happy to find another French cooking enthusiast and learn more from your blog! Like yourself, I’ve been passionate about all things French since my very first visit to Paris. My passion for food and travel to France brought me to a point that I (with the family) spend all my vacation days there. Mostly in the South of France (in Provence), but I also stay in Paris (and love Paris). I’m from Toronto, living and working now in North Europe (and can hardly wait to my next vacation: -))
All the best!
Thank you so so much! Firstly, thanks so much for paying a visit here from Nagi’s blog. How great is she? She’s been a real mentor to me <3 And thank you so much for your sweet words about my recipes and photography – it’s always a work in progress and hearing from kind readers like yourself means the world!
I’m sure you could use the sugared pears, but I have never tried it. My only concern would be that the texture would be different. Fresh pears really soften up and sort of soak into the cake, which is a really nice effect on the palate (both in taste and texture!). The bosc pear in particular has a lovely floral quality to it that goes very well with saffron.
I am so excited to meet someone who is just as enthusiastic about French cooking as I am! Do you have a blog where you chronicle your travels? I’d love to read! You’re so lucky to be living in Europe – so much culture there and so wonderful to be so close to France <3
Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I really do hope to see you around here again soon!
P.S. What is your name? 🙂
XO