Pound Cake with Pear Compote

Recipe from Just Simply…Cuisine

Ingredients

Pound Cake:

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 sticks butter
• ½ cup shortening
• 5-6 large eggs
• 3 cups flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Pear Compote:

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 whole allspice berries
• 3 pears, peeled, seeded, cored and quartered (a mix of overripe and ripe pears; can include apples)
• splash of fresh lemon juice
• pinch of vanilla sugar
• water to cover
• splash of liqueur de poire or pear brandy – optional, but tasty

Instructions

Preheat oven to moderate temperature (325° to 350°). Cream together sugar, butter, and shortening. Add eggs one at a time, and mix well after each addition.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together milk, vanilla extract and liqueur, if desired. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, add dry and wet ingredients in three additions. Run mixer on slow speed when adding ingredients, then beat on fast speed to blend.

Pour into a lightly greased and floured bundt or tube pan. Bake on lower middle rack of oven for an hour and a half or until a cake poker comes out clean.

Let cool before serving. Serve with pear compote and whipped cream or berries, if desired.

Pear Compote: Put all ingredients in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low and simmer for an hour or so. Stir occasionally and serve hot.