¾ cup granulated sugar
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups fine almond flour, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 medium pears, peeled, cored, sliced or chopped. Hard Southern pears (Keifer, cooking, sand or pineapple), or firm eating pears such as Anjou. About 1 cup total.
Optional: ½ - 1 tsp. xanthan gum for a firmer cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8” round or square cake pan. If you want to remove cake from pan, line with parchment paper and leave an overhang. Or, set out 18 cupcake liners in standard muffin tins. Springform is suitable too.
Prepare your pears. Peel and core. If you want larger pieces, slice thinly. I prefer chopped; for cake, about 1” pieces. For cupcakes, smaller. If you are using cooking pears, such as the southern sand pears, give the pieces a little zap in the microwave until they are slightly softened.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, salt, and if using, xanthangum.
Cream together room temperature butter and sugar in stand mixer. Lightly beat eggs with almond and vanilla flavorings and pour into butter mixture with beaters running at low speed. Increase mixer speed and continue beating until well mixed.
Add almond flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend thoroughly on medium speed. Spread batter in prepared pan, or drop into cupcake papers – about half or 2/3 full. Press pear pieces into top of batter. Add topping if using. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick tests clean. Cupcakes need a little less time, start testing at about 30 minutes. Cake will rise but then fall back some as it cools.
Modifications:
--Add ½ - 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or lemon balm (I used rosemary), whisked into dry ingredients
--Substitute ½ - 1 tsp zest of orange or lemon for the almond flavoring
--Sprinkle top with coarse sugar (e.g., demerara) or powdered sugar. This recipe is not very sweet, so I liked the additional demerara.
--Sprinkle top with sliced almonds.
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups fine almond flour, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 medium pears, peeled, cored, sliced or chopped. Hard Southern pears (Keifer, cooking, sand or pineapple), or firm eating pears such as Anjou. About 1 cup total.
Optional: ½ - 1 tsp. xanthan gum for a firmer cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8” round or square cake pan. If you want to remove cake from pan, line with parchment paper and leave an overhang. Or, set out 18 cupcake liners in standard muffin tins. Springform is suitable too.
Prepare your pears. Peel and core. If you want larger pieces, slice thinly. I prefer chopped; for cake, about 1” pieces. For cupcakes, smaller. If you are using cooking pears, such as the southern sand pears, give the pieces a little zap in the microwave until they are slightly softened.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, salt, and if using, xanthangum.
Cream together room temperature butter and sugar in stand mixer. Lightly beat eggs with almond and vanilla flavorings and pour into butter mixture with beaters running at low speed. Increase mixer speed and continue beating until well mixed.
Add almond flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend thoroughly on medium speed. Spread batter in prepared pan, or drop into cupcake papers – about half or 2/3 full. Press pear pieces into top of batter. Add topping if using. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick tests clean. Cupcakes need a little less time, start testing at about 30 minutes. Cake will rise but then fall back some as it cools.
Modifications:
--Add ½ - 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or lemon balm (I used rosemary), whisked into dry ingredients
--Substitute ½ - 1 tsp zest of orange or lemon for the almond flavoring
--Sprinkle top with coarse sugar (e.g., demerara) or powdered sugar. This recipe is not very sweet, so I liked the additional demerara.
--Sprinkle top with sliced almonds.
A delicious cake and a good way to use the pears that grow in our area. From my friend Becky Lyons. Adapted from wildwildwhisk.com
No comments:
Post a Comment