Recipe: Pumpkin Cake With Snow Glaze and Spiced Vanilla Pears

Makes two 6.5-by-4-by-6.5-inch Bundt cakes

Pumpkin cake

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/3 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup water

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

Snow glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

Dried cranberries, optional

Vanilla Spiced Pears

3 Bosc pears

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup cold water

1 cup white wine

1/3 fresh orange peel, cut in thin strips

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 clove

2 whole allspice

Optional garnish: sweetened whipped cream and/or powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar. Then add oil and mix.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4. Alternately add dry ingredients, pumpkin and the water to egg mixture.

5. Spray Bundt pan with vegetable cooking spray and divide the batter between the prepared pans.

6. Bake cakes for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To test for doneness, poke with skewer in the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on wire rack a few minutes then invert cake on rack and remove pan. Let cool.

7. To make the snow glaze: Place powdered sugar in a bowl and slowly pour in milk while stirring with a whisk. Add less milk for a thicker glaze, or more for a thinner glaze. Whisk until the glaze is smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. For added touch, chop some dried cranberries and sprinkle over the glazed cake.

8. To make the Vanilla Spiced Pears: Peel the pears and cut in half, lengthwise, and remove the core using a melon ball scoop.

9. Combine the sugar, water and white wine. Place the pears into a saucepan; be sure they are covered with the liquid. Add the cut orange peel, split vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, clove and allspice.

10. Cover the sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

11. Remove from heat and carefully transfer pears and liquid to another container. Chill the pears in the cooking syrup.

12. To plate the dessert: Drain pears, slice into fans and place a small pear fan on each plate. Lay a slice of pumpkin cake on top of pears and garnish with some whipped cream and maybe a little powdered sugar.

Seattle Culinary Academy at Seattle Central Community College