Strawberry Pear Spring Torte

Delight in the wonderful flavors of strawberry and pear when they come together in this beautifully layered Strawberry Pear Spring Torte--which is smothered in homemade whipped cream!

Why We Love It

There's nothing better than strawberries and homemade whipped cream. The sweetness of the berries when they're ensconced in that fluffy, whipped, sweet delight is absolutely amazing! All on its own, that is a treat. But when we indulge in Strawberry Pear Spring Torte, it takes that pleasure to a whole new level. Canned pears elevate the sweetness of the strawberries when layered with cream in between a strawberry jello-infused cake delight!

Why You'll Love It

This cake's beautiful presentation hides the fact that there are a lot of shortcuts in making it! We use a white cake mix, strawberry jello and canned pears. And, if you're looking to simplify further, you can even use a can of whipped cream instead of making your own (though I hope you give the homemade version a try--it's super easy to make and only has 2 ingredients!).

Strawberry Pear Spring Torte Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 (29 oz.) can Bartlett pear halves in heavy syrup
• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 (3 oz.) box strawberry flavored gelatin
• 1/2 c. pear syrup (reserved from can)
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

For the whipped cream:

• 1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
• 2-4 T. white granulated sugar

For the topping:

• 5 pear halves (reserved from can)
• 3-4 fresh strawberries, halved

How to make Strawberry Pear Spring Torte

You'll want to gather the following equipment:

• bundt/tube pan
• large mixing bowl
• medium mixing bowl
• small mixing bowl
• hand mixer
• can opener
• colander
• spatula
• mixing spoons
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• toothpicks
• long, serrated bread knife
• cake saver (optional, but handy)

Kitchen Ready Betty tips:

• Before starting, lightly grease and flour your bundt/tube pan.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Let's start by prepping the pears! Drain pear halves, reserving 1/3 cup of syrup. Set aside 5 halves for garnish. Dice the remaining pears and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, gelatin, reserved pear syrup and oil.

Using a hand mixer, beat on low speed until just blended.

Add eggs one at a time, blending on low speed after each addition.

Once all eggs have been added, blend on medium speed for 2 addtional minutes.

Pour the mixture into your prepared bundt/tube pan.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: The mixture will be thick--almost like a taffy. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure you get all the cake goodness into the pan!

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let the cake stand 5 mintues before inverting.

Once inverted, allow the cake to cool completely (at least 1 hour) before slicing it into 3 layers.

It's cake slicing time! Don't let this part intimidate you--you can do it by following these steps:

• Get out 8 toothpicks. Insert 4 toothpicks in from the side 1/3 of the way up from the bottom at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. You'll want all the toothpicks sticking in about halfway.
• Insert the next 4 toothpicks in the same positions (12, 3, 6, 9) approximately 1/3 of the way down from the top.
• Now you should have 2 toothpicks in the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions sticking out from the side with roughly an inch in between them vertically.
• The toothpicks will be your guide for slicing the cake into 3 layers. Gently rest the tip of your long, serrated bread knife on one of the toothpicks that is positioned 1/3 of the way down from the top.
• Push the knife in above the toothpick and start slicing very slowly across. Repeat this process with all the toothpicks for the top layer, checking periodically with your hands to see if you can lift it. Once the top layer is removed, repeat the same steps with the second layer.

Watch the video from my YouTube channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzObjBY4hSo

Once finished, you will have 3 layers. Don't worry if they're not completely even--the whipped cream can hide many slicing imperfections!

Make the whipped cream. Pour the heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. Using your hand mixer on its highest setting, whip the cream until it thickens.

Next, add 2-4 T. of white sugar (choose your sweetness). Use the mixer again on its highest setting until the whip thickens.

Remove 1/3 of the whipped cream for the topping. Fold the diced pears into the remaining whipped cream in your medium mixing bowl.

Place the bottom cake layer on a plate. Spread half of the diced pear/whipped cream mixture on top. Then repeat this step for the middle layer.

Place the top layer on the cake. Spread the reserved whipped cream on top. Then decorate with the reserved pear halves and sliced strawberries!

Strawberry Pear Spring Torte Leftovers?

Store in an airtight container. Refrigerate and enjoy within 3 days.

Kitchen Ready Betty tip: This is a very tall cake and it is stored best in a cake saver!

Variations

• Because the batter is thick, I encourage you to bake this in one pan. However, you could attempt just slicing the cake in the middle (for two equal cake parts instead of three) following the toothpick method described above. If you choose this option, reduce the whipping cream to 1 cup and reduce the sugar accordingly.
• If you're not a super pear fan, use 1 (15 oz.) can of diced pears instead. Still use the same amount of reserved syrup in the cake batter. Fold all the diced pears into the filling. Then decorate the top with all strawberry halves. This will also be absolutely delicious and will look just as stunning!
• You could also add shredded coconut to the cake. Fold 1/2 c. of it into the filling. Then tint an additional 1/4 c. with a drop or two of red food coloring. Dip the pear halves in the tinted coconut before arranging them on the top of the cake.