Moist Buttermilk Pear Pound Cake
Submitted by ruff86
Buttermilk pear pound cake built on reduced pear puree and nutty brown butter, with whipped egg whites folded in for a tender, moist crumb. A lighter spin on a classic tube cake.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
3 hrsMost pound cakes are dense bricks of butter and sugar. This one stays lighter and genuinely moist thanks to two smart moves. First, you reduce a full can of pears down to a thick, concentrated cup of puree, which boosts the pear flavor while driving off the water that would otherwise leave the crumb gummy.
Second, the butter gets browned until it smells nutty and toasty before it goes in, lending a caramel depth you’d never get from plain melted butter.
Buttermilk pulls double duty: its tang keeps things tender, and its acidity wakes up the baking soda for a good rise. Then you fold stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter in alternating additions with the flour, which lightens it so the cake bakes up springy rather than leaden.
Fold gently and stop the moment the streaks vanish. Overmixing knocks the air out of those whites and you lose the tender texture.
Kitchen Tips
- Watch the brown butter closely; it goes from nutty to burnt in seconds, so pull it the moment it smells toasty.
- Cool the pear puree completely before mixing, or it’ll start to cook the egg yolks.
- Beat the whites to stiff but not dry peaks; dry, clumpy whites won’t fold in smoothly.
- Cake flour bakes fast, so start testing the center with a skewer at 40 minutes.
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom to the dry mix for a spiced autumn cake.
- Brush the warm cake with a lemon-sugar glaze for extra moisture and zing.
Ingredients
Directions
In a food processor or blender, purée pears. Transfer to a medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly, until reduced to 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. (Adjust heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer). Transfer to a large bowl and let cool completely.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly oil a 10-inch tube pan or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Dust with flour, shaking out excess.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns a light, nutty brown, about 60 seconds. Pour into a small bowl, stir in oil and set aside.
Sift cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Add 1½ cups of the suger, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon zest, egg yolks and the butter-oil mixture to the reserved pear purée and whisk until smooth.
In a clean mixing bowl and with clean beaters, beat the 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. While continuing to beat, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the pear purée mixture alternately with the beaten whites, making three additions of the dry ingredients and two additions of the beaten whites.
Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool, right side up.
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