Note: This post was previously published as a part of my freelance work here.
Your mom. She’s the woman who breathed you life, the one
that gave you your place in this world. When Mother’s Day rolls around, you
don’t have to do anything extravagant to tell her you love her. Something
thoughtful will do.
So why not bake a cake? And why not make it the most
fantastical cake you could ever imagine? Try figs and dates and cranberries
simmered in whiskey with apple cider, cinnamon, and aromatic rosemary.
Delicious pears covered in a vanilla bourbon batter. The top of the cake looks
wild like a garden. The fruit, the herbs, its intoxicating power – it is Mother
Nature’s own masterpiece.
This is a recipe to celebrate every mother and her graceful
beauty. Mother’s Day is almost here…
Ingredients:
½ Cup Chopped Dried Figs (pick your favorite kind or do a
mix)
½ Cup Dried Cranberries
1/3 Cup Chopped Dried Dates
½ Cup Apple Cider
½ Cup Bourbon
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Sprig Rosemary
2 Pears
1 ¾ Sticks Butter, Softened
¾ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
½ Cup Whole Milk
2 Tbs Bourbon
Directions:
1.
Simmer cranberries, figs, dates, ½ cup bourbon,
cider, rosemary, and cinnamon in a pan over low heat. Cook down until liquid is
mostly gone.
1.
Remove rosemary & cinnamon. Pour into a
colander, and let liquid drain into a bowl underneath. Set aside liquid for
reserve.
2.
Preheat oven to 300F.
3.
Butter a 9-inch pan using ¾ stick of butter, and
then evenly spread brown sugar on top.
4.
Core pears, and place them face down onto the
brown sugar. Fill in extra spaces with the dried fruit mixture.
1.
Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt)
in a medium bowl.
2.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter.
Add eggs one at a time followed by vanilla, reserved liquid, and 2 Tbs bourbon.
3.
Mix in dry ingredients, alternating with milk
until fully integrated.
4.
Pour batter over fruit.
5.
Place 9-inch pan on a cookie tray to avoid any
drip overs (bourbon on the bottom of an oven is never a good thing), and cook
for about 45 minutes. Do the toothpick test to make sure it’s fully cooked
through.
6.
Let cool, flip onto a plate, and serve.
