Gooey Butter Pear Cake is awesome for breakfast or brunch. Lightly spiced pears, cream cheese and light yeast bread make up this delicious coffee cake.
Ingredients
2 medium pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For cake:
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature, divided
For topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
For garnish:
Powdered sugar
Instructions
Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Combine milk, yeast, sugar, salt, egg in your mixer bowl. Add flour and mix until you have a smooth dough.
Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time until mixed in. This should take about 5 minutes. Your dough will get really supple and will appear too wet but it is fine, it is supposed to be this way.
Place the dough in your prepared pan. I used a little flour on my hands and patted it out. Cover and let raise for about 45 minutes or until doubled.
Peel and cube up the pears. Add cinnamon, cover and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix together topping. Add butter, cream cheese, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt to your mixing bowl. Mix together until creamy. Add eggs one a time, until well mixed in. Stir in flour.
By this time your dough should be doubled. Sprinkle pears over dough evenly. Dollop the topping on top of the pears. Spread out with a knife to make it as even as you can.
Bake for about 40 minutes, center should still be jiggly. Let cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
Yield: 16 servings
Note: Refrigerate leftovers. Best served at room temperature.