Old Fashioned Pear Cake

What to do with pears that are on the verge of being overly ripe?  Making pear sauce would be nice.  And of course, we can always include them in a smoothie. I was able to find a neat recipe online and adapted it to include raw honey rather than sugar. I love old fashioned recipes, most often only basic ingredients are required. This pear cake turned out to be moist from the pear juice and dense. The strong raw honey taste added even more flavor than it would have with regular plain sugar.

Ingredients
1/2 cup melted coconut oil,  plus 2 tablespoons,(can also use unsalted butter, at room temperature)
All-purpose flour for dusting
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup raw  honey (1 cup Rapadura can be used instead of honey)
3 eggs
2 ripe medium sized pears (may need more if pears are smaller), cored and cut lengthwise into quarters
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)


Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Butter a cake dish with 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter.  Then dust the dish with flour making sure the pan has a thin layer all around.  Tap out excess flour.  (A 9" round pringform pan can also be used.)
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• Using your mixer,  mix together the 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter along with raw honey (or  sugar) on high speed until pale, light.
• Add the eggs, and mix again until well combined. 
• Fold in the dry ingredients using a spoon or spatula making sure all the ingredients are well combined.
• Transfer the batter to your prepared pan.  Arrange the pear quarters on top with the skin side up. (I did the skin side down, oops! And it still turned out great.)
• Bake the cake for about 1 hour, or until the top is nicely browned and the cake is well baked on the inside.  Simply test it by inserting a knife, toothpick or a skewer in the middle and if it is clean, then the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven. 
• Let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.

This recipe was adapted from 101Cookbooks.com which was also adapted.  The original recipe is made with Italian prune plums. mmmm... I will definitely have to try making this cake with the plums the next time around.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 
Tehillim(Psalms) 1:3

This recipe is shared with:
Hearth & Soul
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Pennywise Platter

Have you prepared a pear cake before?  If so, what is your favorite recipe?

Blessings ~ Carmen