French Pear and Apple Cake (Gateau aux Pommes et Poires)

(slightly adapted from Everepicurious.com)

Serves 12

It's Thanksgiving and how I love to cook for the holidays!  Desserts are top of my list and I always like to try something new.  This recipe is light and less sweet than most and is even healthy with all the fruit that's included!  Bottom line, it's a no guilt dessert recipe!  Another reason for choosing to make this recipe is that I have a giant fruit bowl filled with fresh apples and pears.  The cake smells heavenly while it bakes and the presentation is beautiful!

                                        Here it is right out of the oven!

 

Ingredients:

• 4 medium pears, peeled with stem and core removed, and roughly chopped
• 2 medium apples, peeled with stem and core removed, and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon for dusting the apples & pears
• 1 tsp sugar for dusting the apples & pears
• ¼ cup Splenda baking sugar (or ½ cup sugar)
• 2 medium eggs, room temperature
• Pinch of ground sea salt
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar

To make the moist topping, you’ll need…

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 medium egg, room temperature
• 2 tbsp Splenda (or 3 tbsp sugar)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Grease a 10-inch springform round pan with butter and dust with flour, line the bottom with parchment, and set aside
3. Toss the apples and pears with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp sugar & set aside
4. Beat Splenda (or sugar) and two eggs with a pinch of salt until well combined
5. In a separate bowl, mix flour with baking powder
6. Carefully add the flour mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time, until completely mixed (Do not overmix!)
7. Add the milk and oil and vanilla into the batter, and thoroughly mix
8. Pour half of the batter into the cake pan
9. Place the pears and apples over the batter, then pour the rest of the batter over the fruit
10. Place pan onto a baking tray, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes
11. While the cake is baking, prepare the topping
12. Heat the six tablespoons of butter in a pan over low heat
13. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and three tablespoons of sugar
14. Remove butter from heat and carefully add the butter to the egg and sugar mixture, whisking while adding
15. After 30 minutes have passed, remove the cake from the oven and pour the topping over the cake
16. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until set & browned
17. Remove from oven, and let the cake cool on a rack for about 15-30 minutes, or until it is cool to the touch
18. Dust with confectioner’s sugar
19. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, and enjoy!