Pear Pecan Cake

Sometimes, even the best of intentions can get thwarted. Making this pear pecan cake today was a lesson in patience. After prepping the pan, preparing the ingredients and putting the cake in the oven to bake, I made some tea only to discover that my tube pan sprung a leak and my oven was smoking like crazy. After taking out the unfinished cake, I turned off the oven and waited for it to cool down before cleaning it up and putting the cake back in (on a cookie sheet this time). After 40 minutes, I checked and it was finished and nicely browned. I took it out, very relieved that it was not ruined.

The recipe I made comes from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and is very straightforward. Dry ingredients are combined and then oil, eggs and vanilla are mixed in. The batter is not runny or pourable - it is stiff and I used my wooden spoon to distrubute the batter evenly in the pan. The cake bakes up with a solid, moist crumb. It is a perfect coffee cake studded with soft pear and crunchy pecans. I finished off the cake with a simple sugar glaze and sprinkled reserved nuts on top. Considering what it took to make it, this cake was well worth it.