Sour Cream Butter Cake with Pear & Raspberries
This sour cream butter cake with pears & raspberries is an absolute gem from famed Bourke Street Bakery of Sydney. With soft, tender and moist crumbs, this cake tastes absolutely divine and will WOW all your dinner party guests! It is also a very forgiving recipe that is incredibly easy to make.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Keyword: Baking, Butter Cake, Cake, Pear Cake, Pears, Raspberries, Raspberries Cake, Sour Cream, Sour Cream Cake
Servings: 1 x 8" round cake
- 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
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.
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.
This recipe was adapted from Bourke Street Bakery: The Ultimate Baking Companion Cookbook and adjusted by The Bakeanista. My version is halved, with sugar lessened by 25% and ingredients adjusted to what I am able to source locally.
Poached Pears or Canned Pears?
The original recipe calls for poached pear wedges with recipe provided in the cookbook, however I used canned half pears in syrup - I used 4 halves pieces (1 x 410g canned pears would suffice), drained and pat dry then sliced up into wedges.
Fresh or Frozen Raspberries?
Using fresh raspberries would be best for this recipe, but if you are not able to get fresh raspberries, you may also use frozen ones. However do note that using frozen berries would cause the fruits to "bleed" as they thaw. To prevent bleeding, I only thaw raspberries right before I top them on the cake and toss them lightly in some flour.
Variations
Feel free to try with other fruits of your choice, if neither pear nor raspberries is up to your palate as long as it isn't too watery. If using hard fruits, opt to poach or use canned versions - but make sure to drain and pat dry. Whilst it is also okay to pour batter over the top of the fruit, I prefer putting the batter in the cake tin first followed by the fruit and allow the fruit to sink in during baking. If you like, you may also omit the fruits for a plain sour cream butter cake.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes of course! If you're doubling the recipe, use an 11" round cake tin and bake for 60-75 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.