pear cake

Sarah Jampel’s selected pear cake combines an almond-flour base with pieces of ripe but firm pear. The recipe describes a rich texture with an almost marzipan-like chew and pockets of juicy, soft fruit as the pears sink into the cake.

Almond flour and the selected all-purpose flour are sifted with baking powder and table salt. Granulated sugar and unsalted butter are beaten light and fluffy before three eggs are added one at a time, followed by vanilla and the selected almond extract.

The dry ingredients are mixed into the batter, which spreads into a parchment-lined round pan buttered on its bottom and sides. Peeled pears are chopped into pieces and tossed with lemon juice and a separate pinch of table salt.

The pear pieces are distributed over the batter with any juice remaining in their bowl. A separate spoonful of granulated sugar is sprinkled over the surface before the cake bakes.

The cake cools first in its pan and then completely on a rack. Icing sugar is an optional final dusting, leaving the pear pieces and almond-scented cake as the centre of this single-layer dessert.