Easy As … Cake?

Recently, I was going to make a Pear Frangipane Tart as a dessert for dinner with friends. That same day, by coincidence, another friend sent me a recipe for a Pear-Almond Cake he thought we’d like. The cake ingredients were pretty much the same as the tart, and the cake was much simpler to make. It didn’t take a PhD to make that decision. The cake it was!

Sadly, the recipe did not work out well. This — exactly this — is the reason to try recipes before you make them for guests. Or, at least read the online comments to see if the recipe worked for others.

After adjusting the instructions, using the wisdom of commenters, and a few tricks of my own, this “renovated” recipe came together beautifully and has quickly became a favorite. It is incredibly simple and can be put together while the oven is heating. Give it a try!

~ David

Pear-Almond Cake

David Scott Allen, Cocoa & Lavender

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Ingredients

  

• 8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs beaten until lightly foamy
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 3/4 cups almond flour
• 3/4 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large firm-ripe pears peeled, cored, cut in 1/2-inch wedges
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
• Melt the butter; let cool slightly. Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, and extracts. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, sugar, and baking powder. Whisk the dry ingredients onto the wet ingredients, then pour batter into the prepared pan distributing evenly. Arrange pear slices over the top in a pinwheel pattern around the perimeter with extra pieces in the middle. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar over pears, then top with the sliced almonds.
• Bake for 1 hour, covering after 40 minutes; Remove from the oven, take off the covering (it should be a beautiful golden-brown), and cool on a rack until you can handle the pan. Remove the sides of the springform pan using a thin spatula to help release the cake, then let cool completely on the cake pan base.
• Using a large offset spatula, release the cake from the springform base and slide it onto a platter. Lightly dust the cake with confectioners sugar.

Notes

Serves 8.

Adapted from the recipe by David Tanis.