Dessert Recipes
Spiced Pear Crinkle Cake
Inspired by the viral TikTok “crinkle cake” trend, this impressive dessert is one of our favorite ways to use phyllo dough — and it’s one of the easiest! It starts with simple, store-bought frozen phyllo dough, folded accordion-style into a pan, with thin slices of pear tucked in between the folds. Topped with warm melted butter, rich spiced custard, and sweet pear syrup, it bakes up crispy-crunchy on top and creamy in the center. With delectable notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, it’s perfect for holiday celebrations or any time you need a quick, show-stopping dessert.
Serves: 8 to 12
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Dessert
Spiced Pear Crinkle Cake
Ingredients
1 package (2 rolls) phyllo dough, thawed
2 ripe pears
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp Gelson’s ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
⅛ tsp Gelson’s ground nutmeg
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Unroll 1 log of phyllo dough at a time. Working with 2 sheets of phyllo and starting at the short edge, fold up the dough like an accordion, about 1” wide. Place the folded dough in the pan, and repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo to fill the pan.
- Peel and thinly slice 1 pear. Reserve the peels and place them in a small saucepan. Set aside. Evenly space and layer the sliced pears in between the folds of phyllo dough.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Evenly drizzle the melted butter over the dough, and bake for another 10 minutes.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, 1 cup of the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Evenly drizzle the custard over the dough, then bake for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard is set and the crinkle cake is deep golden brown.
- Meanwhile, peel and dice the remaining pear and add it to the saucepan with the remaining 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, discard the pear and peels. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the syrup has slightly thickened.
- Remove the cake from the oven, and immediately drizzle the pear syrup evenly over the cake. Let cool completely, then slice and serve.