Whiskey Date & Buttermilk Cake with Salted Pear Caramel Buttercream

By vealam

Ingredients

• Whiskey Date & Buttermilk Cake:
• 6 ounces dates, cut in half with pits removed
• 1/4 cup good whiskey
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon McCormick Roasted Saigon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Jamaican Allspice
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Salted Pear Caramel:
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 ripe pear, peeled cored and minced
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Salted Pear Caramel Buttercream:
• 3/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup caramel
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream

Details

Adapted from adventures-in-cooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Simmer the dates and whiskey in a small saucepan, covered, over low heat, until the dates absorb the whiskey and are soft when poked, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool, then puree with the buttermilk until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice until incorporated. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and honey until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Alternate between adding the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture to the cake batter until everything is incorporated and the batter just becomes smooth, wiping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula halfway through mixing.


Evenly distribute the batter between 3 (8-inch) well-greased cake pans whose bottoms are lined with an 8-inch circle of parchment paper. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans and allowing them to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cake is baking and cooling, you can prepare the caramel. Bring the granulated sugar, water, and minced pear to a boil over medium high heat and continue boiling until the mixture turns a light caramel color and smells pleasantly toasty, only stirring once every four minutes. This could take anywhere between 8 to 16 minutes, the speed will depend upon the heat intensity of your stovetop. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the heavy cream, brown sugar, and butter until incorporated. Be careful as the mixture will spit and hiss a bit. If the sugar begins to clump up when you're stirring do not fret, just stir as best as you can for about 30 seconds and then put the pot back on the heat and bring it back to a boil again over medium-low heat.

Once it is boiling again, stir until the sugar chunk dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Once it smoothes out, stir it every two minutes and allow the mixture to simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from the stovetop and stir in the salt. It will look thin but it will thicken slightly as it cools. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Once the caramel has cooled, you can prepare the buttercream. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and caramel together at medium-low speed until relatively smooth. Add the whipping cream and increase the speed to medium, beating until the buttercream is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Layer and ice the cake with the buttercream. Place the iced cake over a square of paper towels and pour 1/2 cup of the salted pear caramel sauce over the cake, allowing the excess to drop onto the towels. Garnish with fresh fruits and herbs and serve immediately.