I don’t often bake with pears. And the only reason is because it’s one of my favourite fruits, so they are usually eaten as is before I even think of using them for another purpose. As with most other fruit, I do love including them in salads, savoury dishes and desserts though so here is a recipe that is new to me but will definitely become one of my favourites.
This cake is based on a traditional Italian cake. I have added and changed a couple of things though, as with all my other recipes. If you love cake but don’t like the overly sweet versions covered in icing, then this is the perfect treat for you.
This petite cake gives me a real sophisticated ‘grown up’ cake feeling that I can imagine serving to a group of girlfriends or when my Mom in law comes to visit.
If you enjoy this type of simple cake with delicious fresh fruit backed into it, do check out the Cherry version of this cake, my Apricot Macadamia Cake, my Plum Upside Down Cake, or my Italian Orange Cake.
Pear and Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 Packham Pears Peeled, cored and quartered
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter (113g) Softened to room temperature
- ½ Cup Light brown sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 100 Grams Ground Almonds / Almond Flour
- ½ Cup All-Purpose/Cake Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Salt
- Flaked Almonds for sprinkling on top
- Icing sugar for sprinkling/decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Grease a small 18 – 20cm spring-form cake tin with a removable bottom and line the bottom with a piece of baking paper. Set aside
- Peel, core and cut the pears in quarters. Set aside
- Tip: to prevent the pears from browning while set aside, feel free to toss them in some lemon juice
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together until combined and smooth
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined, then add the ground almonds/almond flout and mix through
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until well combined, but do not over mix
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and even out
- Note: The batter will be thick and not easily spreadable and will fill the tin only about 2.5cm high. It will rise while baking though
- Arrange the pear quarters over the top of the cake and bake for around 25 – 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top then return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes (The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean)
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for around 10 – 15 minutes. Then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire cooling rack
- Once cool, dust with icing sugar and serve
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge
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