It’s definitely time for another installation of Food Blog Friday and this week I’m featuring a gorgeous Caramel Apple and Pear Cake recipe from the wonderful baking blog Zoë Bakes, written by pastry chef and cookbook author Zoë François.
Even if you aren’t familiar with her blog, you might recognize Zoë as co-author of the popular bread baking books Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The books are great and so is the Artisan Bread in Five blog, but it’s really been a pleasure getting to know Zoë through her personal baking blog over the past few years.
When I was searching for a Caramel Apple Cake recipe yesterday, I was thrilled to find this recipe. The sweet cake is filled with apple chunks and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a touch of brandy. It is topped with an overlapping layer of thin pear slices and glazed with a caramel sauce. Although I hadn’t originally planned on using pears, I fell in love with the pretty design on top of the cake and knew I had to give it a try. The cake is very elegant looking, but was really simple to make thanks to the step-by-step photos and clear instructions.
When my cake came from the oven, it looked great, but I was a bit nervous about removing it from the tube pan. I was afraid the pear design wouldn’t come out right or that something would stick or that I would somehow break the cake.
There was no reason to be afraid, the cake slipped out of the pan with no problems and the parchment paper peeled right off the pears and revealed the layered design.
Once the caramel sauce was poured over the cake, it looked even better!
The cake was unbelievably moist and the simple caramel sauce with hints of brandy and honey was especially delicious. Zoë served hers with ice cream, but I suggest eating it like we did, with mounds of lightly-sweetened fresh whipped cream. Amazing!
Caramel Apple and Pear Cake recipe from Zoë Bakes
Follow Zoë on Twitter
Zoë Bakes on Facebook
Artisan Bread in Five Blog
Other recipes to try from Zoë Bakes:
- Ultimate Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Covered Coffee Toffee
- Chicken Pot Pie with Homemade Puff Pastry
- Mocha Chip Cookies
Previous Food Blog Fridays:
- Spicy Tomato Jam from Over a Tuscan Stove
- Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake from Baking Bites
- Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting from Simply Recipes
- Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread from 101 Cookbooks
- Fattoush from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak from Blue Kitchen
- Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles from Whipped
- Apricot Almond Tart from Tartelette
- Blueberry Orange Cornmeal Pancakes from Satisfied
- Luscious Lemon Bars from Alpineberry
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