At a glance
You're poaching pears in spiced white wine while preparing a light cake batter, then baking them together with a glossy wine syrup poured over midway through—the result is a wonderfully moist, autumnal cake with just the right balance of warmth and elegance. The poaching step takes a bit of attention to keep the pears tender but not mushy, and the scoring detail is a nice touch that makes each bite special.
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Peel the pears and start the poaching liquid
Peel the pears, cut them into quarters and cut out the cores. In a large (a wide, shallow one works well), mix together the wine, cane sugar and spices.
For this step
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Add the vanilla and bring to the boil
Slice the vanilla pod lengthways in half, scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife and add them to the wine. Add the rest of the pod too, so it can infuse. Bring to a full boil until the sugar has dissolved.
For this step
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Add the pears
Add the pears, lower the heat and simmer for about ten minutes. The pears should soften but not turn mushy. Lift the pears out of the wine syrup, leaving the spices in the pan. Turn up the heat to reduce the liquid a little. This will thicken the syrup, which is exactly what we need.
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