Monday, November 8, 2010

Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake


I've missed baking with the HCB group, but the last couple weeks my foot just wouldn't tolerate it. When I read through this recipe I thought I might be able to make this one even though I would still be on crutches because it really looked very simple. The weekend before I realized that I could use one of our rolling office chairs to get around the kitchen and get ingredients out. So, I had my husband pick up the almond cream and pears at the store. I had never purchased almond cream before but I thought I remembered seeing it near the chocolate. I found it online and showed him a picture before he went to the store.

First I made the almond cream. It was pretty simple to make. The food processor does all of the work. (The small bowl and blade worked great for this and took up less space in the dishwasher.) The hardest part for me was getting the ingredients out and doing the dishes afterwards. It's amazing how long it takes to get ingredients out when you can't walk around the kitchen. I was glad the recipe said it could be refrigerated because I could really only handle a short amount of time in the kitchen.

After a little break I got out the ingredients for the batter and mixed up the batter which was also very simple. I made the trough around the inside of the batter for the cream. When I added the cream I wondered if the trough was really wide enough or deep enough because the cream didn't all fit in there.


I think I misread the directions a little. When I read that the pears needed to be sliced in 1/8th inch slices I was thinking about the slices I would normally cut for a fruit salad. Then I thought the pears were only supposed to go over the cream and not layered over the whole top of the batter. I thought something seemed off, but I just went with it.


The cream spread a little on the top of the cake. I was a little concerned it was going to burn, but it looked okay when I pulled it out of the oven.


This cake was very simple, but it tasted really good. The crumb was very small and soft. My husband really liked how the outside was hard and slightly crunchy, and the inside was very soft. It definitely could have used the extra pear that I left out, but that's okay.


10 comments:

  1. welcome back to the kitchen! it sounds like your foot is healing. i like the idea of rolling around the kitchen in an office chair, although it could be cumbersome. your cake looks lovely, too.

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  2. What a lovely color on your cake. I really like your description of "crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside". There's only a small window in which that happens (usually first day of baking only). Kudos for baking while still on crutches. I hope your foot is feeling better though.

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  3. Thanks!

    ECL, I was getting tired of not being able to do much of anything for myself, and then I finally realized if I could get items from once part of the kitchen to another I could at least handle small tasks. I should have asked my husband to take a picture. It's kinda funny.

    Hanaa, my foot is starting to feel better. I got the stitches out yesterday, and I'm allowed to put weight on it now. So, I can sort of "walk" though I still use one crutch part of the time for a little support.

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  4. So glad your foot is healing - be sure not to overdo when you start baking more. Your cake looks great. I too enjoyed this simple cake for morning and afternoon coffee and tea get togethers.

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  5. The Pear Cake looks Awesome, How i wish i was in Austin to taste the cake. Kudos to your passion, nothing could stop you from baking a cake, not even a sore leg. Interesting idea to use rolling chair. Keep baking keep inventing loved your blog!!!

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  6. Oh dear, glad to hear that your foot is healing! Your cake looks wonderful..seeing all the cakes, makes me regret not being able to make it. :)

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  7. Thank you everyone for the well wishes! My foot has really made a lot of improvement in the last day or so. I think I'm off crutches for good now though I do have them in my car just in case.

    Sunita, this cake didn't make it to the office. My husband liked it too much so I knew he would have vetoed that idea. Next time you come down to Austin I'll try to bake something to bring in.

    Faithy, you should definitely bake this one sometime. It's so simple and delicious.

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  8. What an intrepid baker you are. Your cake looks great. This is a keeper recipe for me. I think I will try using two pears next time.

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  9. Andrea, I can't believe that you baked while your foot's still hurting. You are such a trooper! Love the picture of the sliced cake with your beautiful plate.

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  10. Lola and Jenn, thanks!

    Jenn, I actually picked up that plate at TJ Maxx. Another blogger suggested buying pretty plates at places like TJ Maxx, Target, and Marshalls.

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