Heat sauce until just slightly warm, stirring often. Spoon ⅓ of batter into prepared pan. Drizzle ⅓ cup sauce over and spread gently to within ½ inch of pan edge. Repeat with another layer of batter and sauce. Top with remaining batter. Run small sharp knife through cake in zigzag motion to swirl sauce slightly.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 30 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack. Peel off paper and cool completely. Wrap cake in foil and store overnight at room temperature. Cover and chill remaining sauce.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Let cake stand at room temperature.
Rewarm sauce. Cut cake crosswise into ¾-inch-thick slices. Top each with scoop of ice cream. Spoon warm sauce over. Garnish with fresh banana slices, if desired, and serve.
Rosemary is typically used in savory dishes, but here it flavors a sweet syrup that plays off the pears, turning a humble pound cake into a sophisticated dessert. The rosemary syrup is also delicious in a cup of tea; candied rosemary makes a perfect decoration for a holiday Yule log. 8 servings
Pears
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cup dry or off-dry Riesling
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
8 Forelle pears or other small pears, peeled, stems left intact
Pound Cake
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1⅓ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, beaten to blend in medium bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Syrup and Candied Rosemary
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
8 4-inch-long fresh rosemary sprigsSuperfine sugar
PEARS: Combine 3 cups water, sugar, Riesling, rosemary, vanilla bean, and peppercorns in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring syrup to boil, turning pears occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until pears are tender, about 20 minutes. Chill pears uncovered in syrup until cold, at least 3 hours.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
POUND CAKE: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 9×5×3-inch metal loaf pan. Whisk flour and cornmeal in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, then salt. Drizzle in beaten eggs by tablespoonfuls, beating constantly, then beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, beating just to blend after each addition. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake cake until brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.
SYRUP AND CANDIED ROSEMARY: Bring 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add rosemary. Simmer until syrup reduces slightly, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer rosemary sprigs to rack and drain. Cover and reserve rosemary syrup.
Pour superfine sugar into shallow bowl. Add drained rosemary sprigs to sugar, 1 at a time, turning to coat thickly. Place on paper towels. Dry at least 1 hour.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Let sprigs and syrup stand at room temperature.
Cut dark ends off cake. Cut eight ½- to ¾-inch-thick cake slices. Cut each slice diagonally in half. Arrange 2 halves on each plate. Drain pears. Stand 1 pear on each plate. Drizzle each dessert with reserved rosemary syrup and garnish with candied rosemary sprig. Serve, passing remaining rosemary syrup separately.
This recipe makes two tea breads—keep one and give the other as a gift. Since the pale orange-colored kumquat icing adorning the bread is so pretty, just place the bread in a clear cellophane bag, available at some kitchen-supply stores, then tie on a bow. A touch of instant iced tea powder adds an intriguingly subtle flavor, but it is optional. Makes 2 loaves
2 cups stemmed, quartered, seeded kumquats; plus 2 kumquats, sliced thinlyNonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant iced tea powder (optional)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided 1¼ cups sugar
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon corn oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Place quartered kumquats in processor; puree 3 minutes. Measure ⅓ cup puree for glaze; set aside.
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Spray two 8½×4½×2½-inch metal loaf pans with nonstick spray. Combine flour, tea powder (if using), baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and 1½ teaspoons coarse salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, blend 1¼ cups sugar and oil in large bowl. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla, ⅔ cup kumquat puree, and pineapple with juice. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating just until blended. Fold in walnuts. Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pans on rack 5 minutes. Turn cakes out. Place cakes, top side up, on rack and cool.
Place reserved ⅓ cup kumquat puree in large bowl. Whisk in butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and remaining ½ teaspoon coarse salt. Spread glaze over cakes. Top with kumquat slices. Let stand until icing sets.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil; store at room temperature.
Cakes: Art And ScienceThe most basic ingredients in cakes—sugar, butter or vegetable oil, eggs, and flour—perform critical functions. Knowing their roles helps explain why precise measurements are so important in baking.Sugar sweetens cakes, of course, but it also tenderizes them and helps keep them moist. Sugar also helps brown cake crusts.Butter and vegetable oil moisten and tenderize cakes. Vegetable oil actually moistens cakes better than butter, but butter provides more flavor. When butter is creamed with sugar, it traps air bubbles that help leaven cakes.Eggs provide the protein that holds cakes together. Egg whites help cakes rise and have a drying effect that prevents cakes from becoming too soggy. Egg yolks help emulsify large quantities of sugar, butter, and liquids, which produces very moist cakes.Flour provides bulk and starch to hold the cake together.