Page 260 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

242 C H O C O L A T E C H E E S E C A K E S A N D S O M U C H M O R E

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven 5. For the pear filling, peel, core, and
and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly quarter the pears. Carefully slice each quar -
mist a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil ter into 3 or 4 slivers. Melt 1 teaspoon of
spray. Set the pan aside. Line the bottom the butter in a small skillet over medium
and up the sides of a 9- to 10-inch loaf pan heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar.
with parchment paper (see the Cake Mix Place the slivers from 1 pear in the skillet,
Doctor says). Set the loaf pan aside. and sauté until they soften a bit and begin
to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the
2. Place the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, pear slices to a serving plate, and continue
and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. with the remaining pears, butter, and
Blend with an electric mixer on low speed brown sugar.
for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape
down the sides of the bowl with a rubber 6. When the cake has cooled, run a knife
spatula. Increase the mixer speed to around the edges of the pan and invert it
medium and beat 2 minutes more, scrap- onto a cutting board. Carefully slice the
ing the sides down again if needed. The cake in half horizontally so you have 2 slabs
batter should look well combined. Pour of cake, each about 1 inch deep. Measure
the batter into the prepared 13- by 9-inch 9 or 10 inches down each slab of cake,
pan, smoothing it out with the rubber depending on which size loaf pan you are
spatula. Place the pan in the oven. using. Cut through the cake crosswise
at this mark. Save the cut-off 4-inch ends
3. Bake the cake until it springs back for patching. Slice each of the 9- or 10-inch
when lightly pressed with your finger, 32 slabs of cake into 6 lengthwise strips. You
to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the will have 12 strips of cake in all.
oven and place it on a wire rack to cool
completely, 40 minutes. 7. Spread one fourth of the sautéed pears
evenly over the parchment paper in the
4. Meanwhile, prepare the fillings: Place bottom of the loaf pan. Pour a little liquid
the cream cheese, melted butter, brandy, from the pears over them. Spoon one fourth
confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, of the cream cheese filling over the pears,
and nutmeg in a medium-size mixing bowl. spreading it out evenly. Place 3 cake
Blend with a wooden spoon until the strips over the filling, pressing down gen-
mixture is combined. Fold in the pecans. tly with your fingers, and fill any gaps
Set the filling aside. with leftover cake. Repeat the layers of