Name: Pear and juniper berry cake
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: Cake; 375 grams walnuts; 6 eggs; 585 grams caster sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk; 250 grams butter (melted); 2 and 2/3 cups self-raising flour; Juniper berry poached pears; 3 cups (750ml) dry white wine; 3 cups (750ml) water; 2 cups (440g) caster sugar; 2 medium (50g) beetroots; 2 tablespoons crushed juniper berries; 1 tablespoon black peppercorns; 3 fresh bay leaves; 2 small corella pears (200g) peeled; 5 medium beurre bosc pears (1.15kg), peeled; Treacle buttercream; 350 grams butter (chopped, softened); 250 grams cream cheese (chopped, softened); 1 1/2 cups (240g) pure icing sugar; 2 tablespoons treacle

Pear and juniper berry cake

This cake is a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds

Serves 16

Prep

Cook

Total

Ingredients

Cake

375 grams walnuts

6 eggs

585 grams caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup (250ml) buttermilk

250 grams butter (melted)

2 and 2/3 cups self-raising flour

Juniper berry poached pears

3 cups (750ml) dry white wine

3 cups (750ml) water

2 cups (440g) caster sugar

2 medium (50g) beetroots

2 tablespoons crushed juniper berries

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

3 fresh bay leaves

2 small corella pears (200g) peeled

5 medium beurre bosc pears (1.15kg), peeled

Treacle buttercream

350 grams butter (chopped, softened)

250 grams cream cheese (chopped, softened)

1 1/2 cups (240g) pure icing sugar

2 tablespoons treacle

Method

1.Make juniper berry poached pears.

2.Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease two 20cm round cake pans; line bases and sides with baking paper.

3.Spread walnuts on an oven tray in a single layer. Roast for 7 minutes or until browned lightly and fragrant; cool. Process nuts into fine crumbs.

4.Whisk 3 eggs, 11/3 cups of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer for 8 minutes or until thick and pale. Using a balloon whisk, fold in 1⅓ cups of the sifted flour until combined. Fold in half the ground walnuts, ½ cup the buttermilk and half the butter. Divide mixture evenly between cake pans.

5.Bake cakes for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Leave cakes in pans for 10 minutes before turning, top-side up (see notes), onto wire racks to cool.

6.Wash and dry cake pans; grease and line pans as in step 2. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with remaining eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, ground walnuts, buttermilk and butter to make another two cakes.

7.Make treacle buttercream.

8.Place one cake on a plate or board. Reserve ⅔ cup of the buttercream for the top of cake; divide the remaining buttercream into three portions. Spread one portion of buttercream on cake; repeat layering, finishing with a cake layer. Spread top with reserved buttercream. Decorate cake with pears; drizzle with syrup.

Juniper berry poached pears

9.Place wine, the water, sugar, beetroot, juniper berries, peppercorns and bay leaves in a large heavy-based saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, without stirring; add pears to pan. Place a piece of baking paper over pears; place a small plate on top to keep pears submerged in the poaching liquid. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until small pears are tender; remove small pears with a slotted spoon. Cook larger pears for a further 5 minutes or until tender (cooking time will depend on the ripeness of the pears). Cool pears in liquid. Strain 1 cup of poaching liquid into a small saucepan; bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 1/3 cup. Cool.

Treacle buttercream

10.Beat butter in a bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add cream cheese, sifted icing sugar and treacle; beat until light and fluffy.

Test Kitchen notes
Pears can be poached up to 2 days ahead. Cakes and buttercream are best made on day of serving.

To turn out cakes, top-side up, first invert the cake onto a wire rack. Place another wire rack on top then, sandwiching the cake between the two racks, flip it over.
Note