Medlar Cream Cake

This cake is so simple and yet so gooda crunchy crust forms while the medlar pastry cream filling bakes into the
center of the cake. Dont worry if you have never seen or heard of a medlar! They are extremely rare and never sold
at markets, but you might just have a neighbor that grows this long-forgotten fruit. You can make this cake without
the medlar and still will have your guests oohing and aahing. For a gathering of 30 to 40, make two 12-inch cakes.

Serves 16
M akes o ne 1 2 -inch r oun d c a k e
M ed l ar Pastry Cr e a m
134 cups whole milk
13 cup sugar, divided
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
34 cup medlar fruit, de-seeded through a
sieve, or substitute dark apple or
pear butter
Cake
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at
room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
214 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup medlar pastry cream or regular
pastry cream

To prepare the medlar: Gather about a quart of bletted fruit. Medlar fruit is ripe when
completely soft and squishy. We let the medlar blet or ripen on the tree, but you can
harvest while firm and ripen in a cool room or fridge. The consistency is like pudding with a
cluster of seeds. To get just the flesh with no seeds, push all the interior contents through a
medium-sized sieve until you have 3 4 cup.
Place the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with half of the sugar. Heat on medium
just until it starts steaming. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks in a metal bowl
with the other half of the sugar and the cornstarch. When the milk is hot, remove from
the heat and whisk a little at a time into the yolk mixture, until you have added all the
milk. Pour back into the saucepan. Turn the heat back to low and stir constantly with a
spatula. Watch for the pastry cream to thicken to the point that your stirring spatula will
leave an opening to the bottom of the pot and the mixture is thick like a puddingthis will
happen fast! Remove from the heat immediately. Stir in the butter until smooth. If you are
using the medlar fruit, then add this now by folding into the pastry cream. Set aside in the
refrigerator. This can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in the fridge.
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350F. Before beginning, it is very important
to be sure that all your ingredients are soft and warm. Ideally, even the temperature in
your kitchen should be warm to ensure a soft batter! Prepare a 12-inch cake pan with a
parchment circle for the bottom and a thin layer of butter for the sides.
Cream the soft butter with the sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for
a few minutes until the mixture is free of lumps and soft and creamy. Add the eggs, one
at a time, scraping the bowl down after all the eggs have been added. Add the vanilla
extract and mix to incorporate. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a
separate bowl with a sieve. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture
without overmixing.
Spoon the cake batter into a large tipless pastry bag. Pipe half of the batter in a tight
spiral into the bottom of the pan. Pipe an extra ring around the inside edge of the pan,
building up the sides slightly to create a well in the center that will prevent the filling from
seeping out to the edge. Spread the medlar pastry cream evenly in this well using a small
spatula or knife. Pipe the remaining cake batter in a spiral on top, sandwiching the pastry
cream in the center. Use your spatula to move the cake batter over the top, covering the
filling as much as possible. Its okay if a bit of the filling shows through; when it heats in
the oven it will spread out more.
Bake for 1 to 112 hours. Check the cake at 1 hour; if it needs more time, let it continue
baking for up to another half hour. It should spring back lightly in the center when it is
done. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before unmolding. Dust the top
with powdered sugar, then slice and enjoy.

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