Caramelized Pears For Olive Oil Cake Recipes

HONEY CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside. Mix the eggs and sugars on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
• Whisk together the honey, milk, oil, and zest. With the mixer on low, add the honey mixture to the egg mixture; mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add half the flour mixture; mix until smooth. Mix in the remaining flour mixture. Pour the batter into the pan.
• Bake until dark golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake; carefully remove the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake to a platter. Top with pears. Serve with whipped cream or topping, if desired.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar; cook, stirring, until almost dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pears; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and just golden, 12 to 20 minutes. Pour in the honey; cook, stirring, until the pears are coated and very soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

OLIVE OIL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan using extra-virgin olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper. Oil the parchment and flour the pan, shaking out any excess flour.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer set on high, beat the sugar, eggs and lemon zest until very thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer still running, slowly drizzle in the oil and beat until incorporated, another 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add milk and lemon juice. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smooth the top using an offset spatula and sprinkle the top with about 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake the cake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to release the sides of the cake from the pan. Invert the cake onto a plate and then flip it back over onto the rack to cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.