Asian Pear Coffee Cake

It has finally gotten chilly around here. I am so excited to wake up each morning and be freezing. I know I'm a little weird for loving to be cold. Over the past couple of days it has actually become fall, which means new flavors. Fall is my favorite season, not to mention its flavor profiles. The warm spices and crisp apples are just a few of the many perks. I decided on this asian pear coffee cake because of some lovely asian pears picked by family friends at their farm. Pears like that don't just come around all the time, so I knew I had to take advantage of them. I find that both apples and pears taste the best slow cooked with a cake or crumble. Since I wanted to make something that combined the three, I went with a coffee cake. This recipe is moist, but not too dense. It has a delicious crumble on top and the cinnamon pears add a nice texture and juice to the cake. This is great for breakfast, dessert, snack, whatever. Enjoy your first days of fall!

Crumble

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 oz butter, cold & unsalted

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until there are only small lumps of butter.

Place in refrigerator until ready to use.



Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick butter, unsalted
1 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 medium asian pears

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Mix well in a medium bowl, and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla extract until combined.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Do not overmix batter.

Peel and slice asian pears very thinly, about 1/4"-1/8" thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg. Let macerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, butter a 9" bundt cake pan thoroughly. Pour 1/2 the batter on the bottom, using a spatula to spread. Layer macerated pears on top. Layer the rest of the batter
on top. Remove crumble from refrigerator and pour evenly on top.

Bake for about 50 minutes, depending on your oven, until the top is dark golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 2 hours before removing from pan.