Delicious Discoveries - Pear Streusel Pudding Cake

Halloween is here and the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is winding down. With both of these events in mind, we’re wrapping up our Food & Wine recipes with a little something sweet from the 2010 festival’s Desert Kiosk.

PEAR STREUSEL PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients

1 Can Pear Halves In Juice (drained and thinly sliced)

1 Cup Prepared Vanilla Pudding

1 Egg

¾ Roll Prepared Cookie Dough

¼ Cup Cream Cheese (Softened)

¼ Cup Sugar

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

2 Tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ Tsp. Butter (melted)

1 Cup Streusel Topping

                1 Cup Flour

                ½ Cup Sugar

                ½ Stick Butter (melted)

Directions

For Streusel Topping, combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl, add butter, and mix with a fork until large crumbs form.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Using a paddle, mix cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth, do not whip. Add egg and mix until smooth. Add heavy cream and butter, mix until smooth.

Press dough into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch tart or pie pan with a removable bottom.

Spread vanilla pudding on top of dough evenly.

Pour cream cheese mixture over vanilla pudding.

Evenly place pears on top.

Sprinkle streusel topping over pears.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until cake feel firm to the touch and streusel is golden.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Bring to room temperature before slicing.

I apologize now for my photos and the cake, as it may appear a bit distorted. I used a 12-inch pan and had to adjust the ingredients accordingly.

This cake was fairly simple to make, and is a study in tan. From the crust to the pudding to the pears, this is a cream colored celebration, and tastes very, very sweet. The cream cheese mixture does a nice job of cutting the inherent sweetness of the pears, pudding and cookie dough crust. The streusel works as a way to bookend the cake with a cookie-like topping and keeps the pears from burning in the oven.

While I wouldn’t call this a healthy dessert by any means, it may be a nice change of pace from the candy that will be overrunning our houses for the next couple of days and weeks. With its simple, straight-forward preparation the Pear Streusel Pudding Cake would be a great dessert to get the kids involved and excited about making with you!