Buttermilk Cake with Riesling-Poached Pears

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder 
• 5  bartlett pears 
• 0.7 cup buttermilk 
• 2 cups cake flour 
• 0.3 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 1 cup crème fraîche 
• 4 large egg yolks 
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar 
• 1  lemon zest finely grated
• 0.5 cup brown sugar light
• 3 inch orange zest 
• 750 milliliter mirin 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 3  star anise pods 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 stick butter unsalted softened
• 0.5  vanilla pod split
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract pure
• 1 cup water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• baking paper
• oven
• blender
• cake form
• spatula

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 35
2. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line it with a 9-inch round of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add the yolks, one at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. At low speed, alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk until almost blended. With a rubber spatula, finish folding the mixture together just until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool completely.
6. Peel and halve the pears. With a spoon, scoop out the cores and discard. In a large saucepan, combine the Riesling, water, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, orange zest and star anise pods. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
7. Add the pear halves and simmer over moderate heat, turning once, until tender, about 5 minutes.
8. Transfer the pears to a large plate. Discard the star anise, vanilla bean and orange zest. Boil the Riesling poaching liquid over high heat until reduced to 1 cup and syrupy, about 15 minutes. When the pears have cooled, slice them lengthwise 1/3 inch thick.
9. In a small bowl, combine the crme frache, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and confectioners' sugar.
10. Unmold the cake onto a plate and peel off the paper.
11. Cut the cake into 10 wedges and transfer to plates.
12. Place a sliced pear half alongside each cake slice. Spoon some of the Riesling syrup over the cake, top with some vanilla crme frache and serve.