Italian Pear Almond Cake
Ingredients
9 tablespoons (125 g) butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature If using unsalted, add a small pinch of salt to the batter
9 tablespoons (125 g) white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (50 g) all-purpose flour
1¼ cups (100 g) ground almonds (not almond flour)
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 medium pears, ripe but firm, peeled, cored, and halved or quartered lengthwise
⅓ cup (50 g) flaked almonds - if you don’t have picky kids 😉
Icing/confectioners’ sugar - for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F (non-fan assisted).
Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the bowl.
On low speed, mix in flour, ground almonds, and baking powder until just combined.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula it will be thick and about an inch deep.
Prepare pears by peeling, halving, and removing the core and spine.
Arrange pear halves or quarters cut-side down in a circle, with narrow ends pointing inward.
Sprinkle flaked almonds over top.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool completely in the tin, then remove the ring and base.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.