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Pear Marzipan Cake

Prep
30 min
Bake
3 hr
Total
3 hr 30 min
Makes
12 slices

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 3large eggsGerman size M
  • ½ cup plus 1 tbsp110 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 tspvanilla sugar1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 1 cup120 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 1 tspbaking powderoptional. German baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK use baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet.

Pear filling

  • 13 oz370 gpearscanned
  • 2 cups plus 1 tbsp500 mlwater and/or juice from the canned pears
  • 5 tbsp40 gcornstarchor custard pudding powder. Cornstarch is a fine starch, usually made from corn, used to thicken creams and lighten cakes (UK: cornflour). Custard pudding powder is a packet of flavored starch (about 37 g) that is cooked with 2 cups (500 ml) of milk and sugar into a thick pudding. In the US use about ⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch plus 1 tsp vanilla extract per packet; in the UK, custard powder, about 40 g per German packet (it is unsweetened, so it swaps 1:1 by weight).
  • 2 tspgranulated sugar
  • ½ tspbaked apple spice or similarA spice blend for baked apples, mostly cinnamon with vanilla, cardamom and cloves. In the US use apple pie spice with a pinch of cardamom; in the UK, mixed spice or ground cinnamon with a pinch of cardamom.

Marzipan cream

  • 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tbsp450 mlwhite wine or grape juice
  • 7 oz200 galmond pastegrated. Raw marzipan with a high almond and low sugar content, used for baking. In the US use almond paste (not marzipan, which is sweeter); in the UK, almond paste, or the marzipan with the highest almond content you can find.
  • 2 to 3 tbspgranulated sugar
  • 5 tbsp40 gcornstarch
  • 4 sticks plus 3 tbsp500 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.

Decoration

  • 3 ½ oz100 gcandied almonds or plain almonds
  • 4 ½ oz130 galmond paste
  • powdered sugara little. Very finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.

Method

Sponge

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°C) convection (fan). Line the bottom of a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan with parchment paper.

  2. Beat the eggs with the sugar, salt and vanilla sugar for about 10 minutes.

  3. Briefly mix the flour and baking powder, sift over the egg foam and gently fold in.

  4. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake right away for about 25 minutes. Then turn it upside down in the pan onto a wire rack and let it cool.

  5. Once the sponge has reached room temperature, loosen it from the pan with a knife and cut it in half horizontally.

  6. Now place a smaller ring on the bottom layer; this is where the pear filling goes next.

Pear filling

  1. Cut the pears into rough pieces.

  2. Take a splash of the liquid to stir the cornstarch into, and bring the rest of the liquid to a boil with the sugar and spice.

  3. As soon as the liquid boils, take it off the heat for a moment, stir in the cornstarch mixture, then put it back on the stove and bring it back to a boil while stirring. Let it bubble for about two minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in the pear pieces.

  4. Spread half of the pear filling on the bottom layer inside the prepared ring and smooth it out.

  5. The second half can wait, covered, in the pot until you need it.

Marzipan cream

  1. Coarsely grate the almond paste and put it into a pot with the wine and sugar, but first take off a small splash of wine to dissolve the cornstarch in. (Tip! If you like, you can do this step right at the start of baking, so the almond paste can dissolve in the wine without much effort.)

  2. Bring the marzipan wine mixture to a boil while stirring, but stir in the dissolved cornstarch just before it boils.

  3. Let the cream bubble for about two minutes while stirring, then take it off the heat and let it cool completely (!), covered, until it reaches room temperature.

  4. Beat the butter as vigorously as you can for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the marzipan cream a spoonful at a time.

Assembly

  1. Now remove the small ring from around the pears, close the springform ring around the bottom pear layer again and spread about ⅓ of the marzipan cream first around the edge, then on top.

  2. Place the second layer on top, set the small ring on it again, fill in the rest of the pears and smooth them out. Now remove the small ring again and spread another ⅓ of the cream around and on top of the pear filling.

  3. Now the cake needs to chill for at least two hours so it becomes firmer and more stable.

  4. Once the cake is well chilled, release it from the springform pan and cover it with the remaining cream. Before you do, fill a little of the cream into a piping bag for decorating the cake.

  5. Roll out the almond paste on the work surface with a little powdered sugar, cut out a circle with the smaller ring and place it in the center of the cake.

  6. Now pipe on the rest of the cream, dust with a little powdered sugar and finish with candied almonds.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/pear-marzipan-cake/