almond butter & pear cake

i absolutely love the rain. it’s my favorite type of storm, especially when it involves thunder and lightning. the scent of the fresh rain hitting grass. and the usual rainbow at the end of it all. it makes it into one of those super cozy days where you just want to stay inside, watch a movie and be all warm in bed. what i did though was i opened the windows to let in the smell of the rain and made cake all day. i must’ve made at least 3 cakes, or was it 4? i honestly don’t remember. when it comes to experimenting i get pretty carried away which results in cake for days.

since it was raining all day it gave me time to really contemplate on this specific cake. the idea for flavors just randomly pop into my head. sometimes i get so excited about a certain new flavor that i just automatically have to make it right then and there. this is one of those cases. this combination is super packed with flavor from the almond butter, caramelized pears, and the brown sugar buttercream. it is so good. like really good. (especially the buttercream!)

this buttercream though has got to be my new favorite. ermine buttercream is super amazing. and i thought swiss buttercream was so great! but honestly, when you try this buttercream, i promise you will never go back to any other type of buttercream that’s ever been created. and yes, it is made with flour, which i thought was odd. who makes buttercream with flour? whoever created this odd concoction obviously knew what they were doing.

anyways, this cake is super yummy. the almond butter gives the cake a nutty flavor (obviously) and with the added spread of the almond butter on top of the first two layers of cake helps add more almond flavor. then you throw in the pears that add in a subtle sweetness and texture to each bite. and of course there’s the frosting i keep raving about. it’s so light and fluffy and the brown sugar just completes this cake. the rainy day was definitely a contributor i think. now i just have to figure out what i’m going to do with all of this cake! anybody want some?!

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almond butter & pear cake

makes one 3-layer, 6-inch cake

cake

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

10 oz jar almond butter, 2 tbsp reserved for later  use

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1/2 cup boiling water

preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and prep three 6-inch cake pans. place a pot of water on the stove to boil. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the almond butter, about a minute. scrape down the sides of the bowl. add in the eggs, oil, vanilla, milk and mix to combine. in another bowl, combine the flour, both sugars, baking powder and salt and whisk together. gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet. once the batter is fully mixed, add in the boiling water and incorporate into the batter. divide the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let the cakes cool 10 minutes then carefully remove from the pans to continue cooling. wrap in cling wrap until ready to use.

pear filling

2 pears, peeled, cored, and diced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup water

place all of the ingredients into a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. stir the ingredients together and then cover slightly with a lid. let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes and until the sugar has become thicker and caramelized. the cook time also depends on the ripeness of the pears. make sure to try a piece at the 15 minute mark to see if they are soft and tender. (no one wants to bite into a hard piece of pear)

brown sugar buttercream

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 sticks unsalted butter

1 3/4 cup brown sugar

pinch salt

in a saucepan combine the flour and milk and place over medium-low heat. whisk the mixture constantly until it starts to thicken, about 8-15 minutes. (this depends on if you have a gas or electric stove top.) once thick remove from the heat. put the mixture into a bowl and mix in the vanilla extract. place cling wrap directly over the mixture so a skin doesn’t form. let cool until room temp. once at room temp, place the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. whip until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. before adding the flour mixture, make sure there aren’t any clumps. if there are i suggest putting the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. add the flour mixture a spoonful at a time into the butter mixture. once the flour mixture is all added, whip on high for about a minute. the buttercream will resemble whipped cream.

assembly

trim the tops off the cake to make it level. start with one layer and spread half of the reserved almond butter on top. i found it easier to heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds before hand. after the almond butter, spread a thin layer of the buttercream and then with a piping bag, pipe a dam around the sides of the cake. put half of the pear filling next. repeat with the second layer of cake. once the last layer of cake is stacked, spread a crumb coat on the whole cake. place the cake in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or until the crumb coat has set. once set, spread a thicker layer of the buttercream on. pipe designs/boarders if desired.