Spiced Pear Bundt Cakes with Saffron Cardamom Glaze

The first time I made a meal for my husband, it was a complete disaster. I had just moved to LA from New York and I remember being excited to cook him a meal because that was one thing I knew I could do well. I was so excited to impress him with my culinary skills.

This meal wasn’t even anything elaborate. It was a vegetable stir fry – a dish many would think is one of the easiest to make! I brought it out and waited for Johann’s reaction.

Now the thing to know about Johann is that when he likes something he’s eating, he is very vocal about it. You will hear the “Mmms” and see the expression of complete satisfaction on his face. This time – I barely heard anything.

My heart sank and the tears began to well up in my eyes. A dramatic reaction? Perhaps, but the more I cook the more I realize that cooking is my way of showing people how much I care. I’m not always the best at expressing myself in words, but I will spend 10 hours in the kitchen and prepare a 5 course meal without thinking about it twice to show that to you that in culinary delight.

Truth be told, I’m actually quite an introvert. I can strike up conversation when I have to, but I’m much more comfortable expressing myself in any creative space – whether that’s in the kitchen, behind the camera or editing/designing on my computer.

Because of this, I put so much pressure on myself to create the best stir-fry that I overcooked the veggies and rice and didn’t use enough seasoning and sauce. The wonderful thing though is how sweet Johann was about all of it. He knew I was incredibly stressed I was about impressing him and reassured me that one subpar meal didn’t mean anything or have any impact on how he felt about me.

Luckily, my cooking (and self confidence) has improved greatly since then and now my husband says he loves my food better than any restaurant he’s ever been to. There’s nothing quite like a good, home cooked meal and nothing like seeing a smile on someone’s face you give that food to!

I certainly do still have my meal fails at times, but I’m using them more as learning experiences. I do realize that the more relaxed I am, the better the food is though. Love is the most important ingredient!

Ok, so now onto today’s recipes. I created this recipes for an Instagram bundt cake collaboration with a group of other talented food bloggers and photographers. When I was thinking about what type of bundt cake to make, I remembered something I heard from my mentor, Bella Karrigiannidis. She was talking about her process for coming up with recipes and she always pushes herself to think of unique flavor and ingredient combinations that she hasn’t seen very often. So that’s the approach I took with this Spiced Pear Bundt Cakes with Saffron Cardamom Glaze and I just love how it came out! And yes – I got the “Mmmms” from Johann.

Spiced Pear Bundt Cakes with Saffron Cardamom Glaze

admin The first time I made a meal for my husband, it was a complete disaster. I had just moved to LA from New York and I remember being excited to… Desserts cake, bundt cake, vegan cake European Print This

Serves: 16

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2.5-3 cups chopped pears (peel, core and chop pears)

Glaze Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 8 strands saffron
• 3 crushed cardamom pods
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Spiced Pear Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir in cinnamon and cardamom. 
3. In another bowl, combine almond milk, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir well to combine.
5. Stir in pears. Because these are mini bundt cakes, I prefer chopping the pears into smaller pieces.
6. Grease and flour 2 mini bundt pans with additional coconut oil and flour. I used this one from Nordic Ware.
7. Pour batter into each pan about halfway full.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a fork or toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes in pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes and then gently reverse pan. Cakes should come out easily. You can tap the pan a few times to assist if they don't come out immediately.

Saffron Cardamom Glaze:

1. Put water, saffron and cardamom in a small pot and heat on medium-high heat. Bring to a slow simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and let infuse for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Sift powdered sugar in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp at a time and mix until you get a glaze of the desired consistency. I found that about 3 Tbsp was the perfect amount. 
3. Once cakes are completely cool, use a spoon to pour glaze on top of each cake and allow to drop down the sides. 
4. Cakes will keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.