Pear mini cakes from the muffin tin

Ingrédients

• 2 ripe pears (e.g., Conference or Doyenné du Comice)
• 150 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150 g caster sugar
• 3 eggs (M), at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g plain flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 100 g crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar (optional, for the top)
• powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Préparation

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and lightly grease the muffin tin, even if it has a non-stick coating. That gives the nicest edges.Peel the pears, remove the core and cut them into small cubes of about 1 cm. Set aside.Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and airy.Add the eggs one at a time and mix well between each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and mix briefly.Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt over the bowl and gently fold everything into the butter mixture. Don’t overmix, so the cakes stay nice and airy.Fold in the crème fraîche and gently fold again until you have a smooth batter. Finally, fold in the pear cubes.Divide the batter evenly among the 12 wells of the muffin tin. Fill each well about two-thirds full so the cakes can rise nicely without spilling over.Optionally sprinkle some demerara sugar on top for a crunchy crust. Slide the tin into the middle of the oven and bake the pear mini cakes for 20 to 22 minutes until golden and cooked through. Insert a wooden skewer into the center of a cake to check that the batter comes out dry.Let the cakes rest for 5 minutes in the tin and then carefully remove them from the wells. Place them on a cooling rack to cool. Dust with a little powdered sugar before serving if you like. Enjoy!