RHC: Swedish Pear and Almond Cream Cake

This is another yummy cake from Rose's Heavenly Cakes that I decided to bake today. It seems like I chose the wrong day to bake as things didn't quite go right with the 2 cakes I made. My Golden Lemon Almond Cake turned out dry and coarse because of the errors I made in the mixing and with this Swedish Pear and Almond Cream cake, the sliced pears failed to settle completely at the bottom of the pan which is the desired result for this cake. I don't know if it's because I used an oddly-shaped bundt pan or because I might have over-mixed the almond cream and made it too watery (which according to Rose, prevents the pears from completely settling at the bottom). You can just imagine my disappointment when I saw some of the pear slices still laying on top of the cake even after it baked.

But one thing I really, REALLY liked when I made this cake though was the almond paste that I used! The recipe is by Jacques Torres and you can find it at the Food Network website and it tastes absolutely amazing! I couldn't stop licking the spoon -- I was actually tempted to eat all of it on its own! If you don't mind adding liquor to it I definitely recommend adding Kirsch instead of simple syrup which brings out the almond flavor even more. The recipe also makes a lot so I suggest halving it instead.

VERDICT: Regardless of the outcome, this cake was still so delicious and velvety. Some of the almond cream blended with the batter but based on what I've tasted, it's a divine combination with the pears! the sweetness level was perfect but makes it more of a cake for snacking rather than a meal ender. I'm trying to think of a few spices, extracts or liqueurs I can add to this cake the next time I make this that could add more depth to the flavor of the cake itself.