By CountryLiving
The cornmeal (a.k.a. polenta) lends a delicate, crunchy texture to the crumb of this cake.
Total Time:
Prep:
Cook:
Level:
Moderate
Yield:
8 servings
Serves:
8
Ingredients
- 3 ripe Bartlett or d'Anjou pears
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 14 tbsp. butter
- ½ c. light-brown sugar
- ½ c. dark-brown sugar
- 1½ c. flour
- ½ c. finely ground polenta
- 1¾ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ c. milk
- 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. granulated sugar
Directions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Peel, halve, core, and slice the pears into 1/4-inch thick wedges. In a large bowl, toss the pears with the lemon juice and set aside. Melt 6 tablespoons butter and pour it into a 10-inch round cake pan, rotating pan to spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the brown sugars over the melted butter. Slightly overlap the pear slices decoratively in the cake pan. Combine the flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Lightly beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Beat the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed until pale and smooth. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in the flour mixture and egg mixture, ending with the flour mixture.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in the pan and on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then run a small, sharp knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake and cool completely before serving.
