I bought a giant box of pears this fall and ate pears in every way imaginable. Then, I made this Pear Almond Cake and let me tell you, it was so good!!! It deserves those three exclamation marks.
My dad was from Norway and I grew up with lots of almond desserts. Our family Christmas cookie recipes were all almond flavored. I didn’t realize how much I missed that flavor until I tasted this cake. Pear and almond are a perfect combination and this cake proves that.
PEAR ALMOND CAKE
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 large or 3 smaller pears
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter at room temp
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- Raw sugar for sprinkling (or regular)
- 1/3 cups sliced almonds
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10” round springform pan and put it on a baking sheet.
- Peel, core and slice the pears. Lay them down in the pan, covering the whole pan.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in the almond extract.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and then 1/3 of the sour cream. Mix only until incorporated. Repeat until you’ve used all of both.
- Spoon the batter into the center of the pan and carefully spread it evenly over the pears with a butter knife. Sprinkle the top with the almonds and the sugar.
- Keeping the pan on a baking sheet, bake until a tester comes out clean in the center (35-45 minutes).
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes and then release it from the pan.
Make a cup of tea and enjoy the gorgeous flavors!
