Poached Pear Cupcakes

I'm a big fan of the delicate taste of pears, and while I don't particularly like the texture of a raw pear, I do enjoy seeing how creative I can be with them in my cooking.

Poached Pear Cupcakes

• 1 litre/1¾ pints water
• 200g/7oz granulated sugar
• 3 small pears, peeled, quartered and cored
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 75g/2¾oz plain flour
• 70g/2½oz ground almonds
• 1tsp baking powder
• ¼tsp salt
• 115g/4oz unsalted butter, softened
• 200g/7oz caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 eggs
• 4tbsp double cream

Frosting & Decoration:

• 150g/5½oz icing sugar
• 225g/8oz unsalted butter
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1tsp ground cinnamon

1. Bring the water and granulated sugar to the boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears and cinnamon stick and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pears and set aside to cool, do NOT dispose of the liquid. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with paper cases.
2. Beat the butter and caster sugar in a bowl until pale and fluff, add the vanilla bean paste and eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Add a little flour if the eggs start to curdle. Sift in half the flour and the cream, beat until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt and mix through well.
3. Spoon the batter into the paper cases and put a pear quarter into each. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl with the unsalted butter, and stir together. Add the vanilla bean paste and cinnamon, and beat until combined. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag with a star-shaped tip, and pipe onto the cupcakes.
5. Reduce the poaching liquid down until it produces a sticky and slightly runny syrup, drizzle over the top of the cupcakes.

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This recipe comes from Make, Bake, Cupcake: The Recipe Book, which is a wonderful recipe book full of imaginative cupcake ideas for bored bakers. My personal favourites are the White Russian, Mudslide, Limoncello, Caramel Appletini, and Salted Caramel cupcakes. With easy recipes, colourful photography, and cute illustrations throughout, the book is a joy to use. I particularly like the way that the chapters are easy to find with cut out cupcakes as the markers.

Make, Bake, Cupcake: The Recipe Book is published by Parragon Books with an RRP £14.00 but is currently £5.00 on Amazon.

I was sent this product for the purpose of review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

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