From Nigel's Kitchen Table

Praline Pear Meringue Cake

Recipe by Nigel Clease Kitchen-tested

Autumn & Winter 7 min read

Layers of crisp almond meringue filled with praline custard and juicy pears, delicious with chocolate sauce.

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This praline pear meringue cake just melts in the mouth, two layers of crisp almond meringue filled with a praline custard and juicy pears.

This cake is so creamy and delicious. It makes a great start to the pear season. Serve it with chocolate sauce and it is even more amazing. There is also the option to make a coffee version or use different fruits.

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

EASE: Intermediate – the sugar in the praline can be a little tricky not to over caramelise.
TASTE: Sweet, nutty caramel notes with juicy pears.
TEXTURE: crisp meringue filled with a creamy, nutty mousseline custard.
QUANTITY: 12 slices
TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For this praline pear meringue cake recipe, all you need are these 12 ingredients:

Caster or granulated white sugar – adds sweetness and structure.

Whole almonds – add texture and flavour

Whole Hazelnuts – add texture and flavour.

Medium eggs – adds structure. Make sure they are at room temperature before use.

Ground almonds – add flavour, moisture, texture, and structure to the recipe.

Whole milk – creates creaminess, but this can also be replaced with non-dairy milk if preferred.

Nigel Recommends

The Vanilla I Recommend

I recommend Taylor & Colledge vanilla products because they add a delicious depth of flavour while enhancing the other ingredients in the recipe. Choose from pure vanilla extract, vanilla paste or vanilla pods, depending on the recipe and the intensity of flavour you prefer.

VIEW THE VANILLA I RECOMMEND

Cornflour (US cornstarch) – is gluten-free and used as a thickening agent to build the structure.

Butter – adds structure and flavour. I use salted butter for most of my baking as it intensifies the flavours, but feel free to use unsalted if you prefer. Make sure it’s at room temperature before using.

Whole pears – add flavour, texture, and moisture.

Icing sugar – adds sweetness and a decorative finish to the cake.

Flaked almonds – add texture and a decorative finish to the cake.

Nigel Recommends

Don’t Skip the Salt

I always recommend adding a generous pinch of fine sea salt to your cakes. It balances the sweetness, softens any bitterness and brings out flavours such as chocolate, vanilla, fruit and spices. You should not taste the salt itself—it simply gives the finished cake greater depth and a more rounded flavour.

VIEW THE SALT I RECOMMEND

WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

This recipe can be adapted to other flavours, for example:

Coffee – add 2 tbsp of instant coffee to the boiled milk in the mousseline and leave out the pears.

Fruit – try adding apple compote to the finished mousseline instead of the pears. Avoid adding any additional liquid or the mousseline will become too runny.

Nutrition

Serving: one cake slice

450.99 kcal

CALORIES · 23% DV

28.07 g

TOTAL FAT · 40% DV

43.58 g

CARBOHYDRATES · 17% DV

35.54 g

SUGARS · 39% DV

8.54 g

PROTEIN · 17% DV

41.33 mg

SODIUM · 2% DV

2.94 g

FIBRE · 10% DV

% Daily Values based on a 2,000-calorie diet

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

STORAGE AND FREEZING

This cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, the meringue will soften as time goes by.

Freezing: This cake can also be frozen by wrapping it in clingfilm, but the meringue will become soft.

Praline Pear Meringue Cake – preparation step 2

Praline Pear Meringue Cake – preparation step 3

EQUIPMENT SUGGESTIONS

For this recipe, it is ideal to own a food processor to make the praline.

3pc Silicone Balloon Whisk Set, Colourful Non Stick, 20cm/8″, 25cm/10″, 30cm/12″

The whisks are ideal for mixing hot and cold batters or creams. They come in three different sizes and are very colourful.

Electric hand whisk – I recommend the Breville Classic Combo Stand and Hand Mixer because it includes a generous 3.7-litre stainless steel bowl and a convenient stand, so you do not have to hold the mixer throughout use. You can find it and more of my favourite baking equipment in my Amazon Kitchen Equipment collection.

Food Processor

My recommendation: Magimix 4200XL Compact Food Processor & Blender, 3 Bowls, 3L Capacity, Multifunctional 6 in 1 – This is a really good food processor. I have used Magimix before, I think they are one of the best processors on the market. The blades are very sharp, and I use them for breaking down biscuits and nuts, and for making very smooth creams or dips. It does a really good job and it’s very quiet not as noisy as some other brands. I recommend it to anybody who enjoys baking and cooking. They are a little on the expensive side but you pay for what you get.

RECIPE TIPS

Use the right saucepan. It’s best to use a heavy-bottomed saucepan when making the caramel, this will ensure an even heat.

Don’t stir the caramelizing sugar! Stirring the sugar and water mixture will actually encourage crystallisation to form, causing the caramel to be grainy. Instead, gently swirl the pan, being careful not to make it go too high up the sides of the pan.

Crisp meringue – To get a good dry, crisp meringue, avoid taking it out the oven once the suggested baking time has passed. Turn off the oven and leave it cool down inside with the oven door ajar. It can even be made the day before.

Avoid scrambling the egg yolks – when making the mousseline, whisk continuously, whilst adding the milk to the egg yolk mix. While it does contain cornflour it can still cause the eggs to congeal if not whisked immediately.