Yield: One 10-inch coffee cake
After reading through this recipe you might think, “Wait, I have to make brioche dough, and pastry cream, and streusel, and poached pears? Booooo! This recipe sucks!”
It’s true, there is no way around these chores if you want this delicacy. (And trust me, you do!) But there is some good news. While almost every task takes planning, this one can be spread out (as we do in the bakery) over the course of a few days. On one day, you may poach the pears and make the streusel; on another, you may make pastry cream and the dough; and so forth. If you become impatient while the days pass in slow motion, with time seeming to stall as the pears soak up red wine and the dough ferments, stop a moment and dream ahead. If you close your eyes, you can almost see it: toasting streusel above wine-infused pears floating on warm pastry cream over golden brioche. Patience; you will be there soon enough.
| INGREDIENT AMOUNTS | |
| Ginger-infused pastry cream | 420 grams (1½ cups) |
| Poached pears | 3 |
| Streusel | 1 batch |
PREPARE
Prepare the Ginger-infused pastry cream poached pears and streusel.
Cut the poached pears into ½-inch slices.
Note: Other fruit fillings may be substituted for the poached pears. Try fresh blueberries, sliced apples (sautéed with butter and sugar), or poached plums.
METHOD
Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan.
Divide a dough piece to about 300 grams. See Dividing for instructions.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 8-inch circle, then place it in the springform pan.
Cover the dough and let rest for 20 minutes.
FILL THE COFFEE CAKE
After 20 minutes, use your fingers to press the relaxed dough into the pan and about an inch up the sides.
Apply a ½-inch layer of pastry cream to the dough surface. Leave a ½-inch border of plain dough where it meets the sidewall of the springform.
Evenly distribute the pears on the pastry cream.
Garnish with streusel, applying a generous, consistent layer that covers the entire coffee cake.
Cover and proof for 30 to 45 minutes.
BAKE
Toward the end of the proof, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the streusel is lightly golden. The cake will feel firm and set and pull away from the pan edges.
Cool before removing from the springform mold and slicing.
