A buttery light cake with pears nestled in gooey nutty caramel. Looks impressive and begs to be eaten immediately. Perfect for that afternoon tea or as dessert after a light lunch. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side will not be out of place. No wonder it is one of my favorite cake recipes.
Yield: 8 servings
Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
Pears:
- 3 medium-size ripe Bartlett pears, known in Europe as Williams pears, unpeeled
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (105 g) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (55 g) dark brown sugar
Cake:
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (170 g) sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup (80 g) ground almonds
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
Place butter and sugars in a 9 inch (22 cm) diameter round cake pan. Set cake pan over medium to low heat. Allow butter and sugars to melt, stirring until smooth. Remove the cake pan from the heat and set aside.
Core and cut pears into 1/4 inch (about 0,6 cm) slices. Lay pear slices in overlapping concentric circles on top of the sugared melted butter. Set pan aside.
Beat sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds. Mix until smooth. Spoon batter on top of the pears and spread it gently with a spatula making sure it is evenly distributed.
Place cake pan on the oven middle shelf and bake it until the top is golden brown and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. About 40 minutes. Remove cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Before unmolding, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it up. Place a cake plate on top of the pan. Grasp cake plate and pan firmly and invert it. Remove the pan carefully and serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
