Bourke Street Bakery; just the name itself brings back such fond memories of all the artisanal baked goods from this iconic Sydney bakery café. I loved their bakes so much that I bought their cookbook years ago, a safety net so that their baked goodies would always be within reach.
With travelling restrictions imposed throughout the world, 2020 has been a year of yearning, rediscovering and severe food cravings. I believe I am not the only one that dwells on particular foods on some long, dull days. Sometimes, those insatiable cravings can be vicious, especially the sweet treats! Forces us to put on hold whatever, head to the kitchen and channel the inner chef in us. Must… have… CAKE… Only then, will we be at peace.
Thankfully with the cookbook, I was able to transport myself momentarily to Bourke Street Bakery; through my oven that is. This is a sour cream butter cake with pears and raspberries that washes all my worries away.
My all-time favourite cake with a tender and moist crumb, this recipe is quick, easy and absolutely divine! Not only is it versatile, it is also very forgiving – you can hardly go wrong! I did make a few slight tweaks to the original recipe to suit my palate.
Why sour cream? Can I use other fruits?
This sour cream butter cake is a little sweet and rich. The addition of sour cream will not make the cake sour, if that is what you are concerned about. Instead, it makes the cake moist and denser. The tartness you get is from the fruits. Raspberries and pears will give you a nice balance of flavors and to neutralize the richness. You may use any fruits you like as long as it has some acidity and some “bite” to it. I would imagine fruits like peaches, blueberries or apples would work well too. If you do not have fresh fruits, it is totally fine to use canned ones, just discard the water. Once baked, the fruits would turn soft, but not mushy, contrasting the soft crumbs perfectly.
Like all cakes, baking time and temperature control is paramount.
This dark shade of browning on the outsides is exactly what you are looking for for this sour cream butter cake. It is just the right doneness, still delicate enough for the mouthfeel yet has enough structural integrity to hold the moist cake together. The deep caramelizing smell of the exterior, right on the brink of slightly burnt is a fine line, but one that elevates the cake entirely.
I reduced the sugar level a little from the original recipe. If you find it to be not as sweet as you want it to, you can always lightly dust some icing sugar on top after. By doing so, it also completes the aesthetics appeal as a bonus!
The year has been challenging for all of us. On the bright side, it has taught us to appreciate the little things in life and to discover new hobbies and skills. Being stuck indoors most of the time, baking is a great outlet to express ourselves, bond with the family, and “travel” imaginatively through our bellies. Check out my take on some delicious Soboro buns here on my fictional trip to Korea!
Let me know in the comment section below how this pear and raspberry sour cream butter cake turn out for you! If you enjoy butter cakes with soft, tender crumbs, try also my Marble Cake or Lime Coconut Butter cake – both of these are easy to follow recipes that would serve well for your next dinner party… or any occasion really! Happy baking.
Sour Cream Butter Cake with Pear & Raspberries
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 130 g caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 100 g sour cream
- 150 g self raising flour sifted
- 12-15 poached/canned pear wedges refer to notes
- 60 g fresh/frozen raspberries refer to notes
Instructions
Please note that I have included two methods below for batter mixing either using conventional stand or hand mixer, or Thermomix so do take note of the sub-headings.
- Set the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 180°C. Grease an 8" round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper – best if the paper protrude about 1" above the tin.
Batter Mixing using Stand or Hand Mixer
- Whisk butter and sugar together either using flat beater or whisk attachment, on low speed until pale and creamy.
- Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and mix to combine.
- Add eggs, one at a time, making sure they are completely incorporated before adding the next.
- Add sour cream in two batches, followed by flour in two batches, until well combined.
Batter Mixing using Thermomix
- Insert butterfly whisk attachment. Place butter and sugar in TM mixing bowl. Mix for 1min/Spd3. Scrape down sides of bowl using spatula, add vanilla extract and mix for 40secs/Spd3.5.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix for 15secs/Spd4, ensuring to scrape down sides of bowl each time.
- Remove butterfly whisk attachment. Add sour cream and mix for another 10secs/Spd4.
- Add flour and mix on reverse for 30sec/Spd4 until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Baking Instructions
- Scoop mixture into prepared cake tin, and arrange pear wedges in an even circle around the tin. Then scatter raspberries over the top.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when inserted into centre of cake. Tent cake loosely with aluminium foil or baking paper if it starts to brown too much.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out on wire rack to cool completely. This cake is best eaten as soon as it has cooled, but can also be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Have you tried this recipe?
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Cake turn out looks so pretty and taste good!
Thank you Weina! Glad to hear it turned out well for you.
First timer on this recipe and it turned out far better than I expected hahaha. Many thanks!
So glad to hear! Thank you!
This is now one of my favourites! Easy to make and the flavours and texture are absolutely amazing.
Hi5! I’m glad you love it as much as I do. 🙂
I love Bourke Street Bakery and visit regularly. This adapted recipe is so easy to make and turned out perfectly so thanks for sharing!
I usually need to reduce the sugar with recipes but given you already did this, I can say that the level of sweetness was perfect for me and my family – they said the addition of dusted icing sugar was not necessary and the cake looked good as is.
I love that you gave different device options – I used my stand mixer. I would normally poach my own pears but I was short on time and tried your suggestion of using tinned fruit – I used a supermarket branded can of Pear Slices in Juice. You may want to specify in your recipe that one 410g can is enough. I bought two tins as I didn’t know how many slices would be in one. The family asked for more so the second tin will come in handy now. 🙂
I love Bourke Street Bakery and visit regularly. This adapted recipe is so easy to make and turned out perfectly so thanks for sharing!
The level of sweetness was perfect for me and my family – they said the addition of dusted icing sugar was not necessary and the cake looked good as is.
I love that you gave different device options – I used my stand mixer. I would normally poach my own pears but I was short on time and tried your suggestion of using tinned fruit – I used a supermarket branded can of Pear Slices in Juice. You may want to specify in your recipe that one 410g can is enough. I bought two tins as I didn’t know how many slices would be in one. The family asked for more so the second tin will come in handy now. 🙂
Thank you Lily for your feedback! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the cake. 🙂
I have taken your feedback into account and have updated for those unsure of the number of cans required.
Hi, thanks for the sharing this recipe. It tastes amazing! However, there’s one little problem when i follow ur recipe using the thermomix method, there’s gluey streaks at the bottom of the cake. Do u encounter the same problem?
Hi Belinda, thank you for reaching out. Hmm I have mixed my batter using my TM6 several times for this recipe and did not encounter that the denser gluey streak at bottom. I will relook into the recipe for when I make this next time, to keep an eye out for the batter consistency etc.