Pear Almond Cake

This light and fluffy Pear Almond Cake is packed with fresh fruit and sliced almonds! Only 15 minutes of prep; and 50 minutes of idle time (baking). Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! Serve it dusted with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or plain vanilla ice cream. It can be easily adjusted to be gluten-free and dairy-free!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword pear almond cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 284kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour sifted or aerated (see note below)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup white sugar
2 oz salted butter melted
1 egg
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt or plain Kefir
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract or Amaretto liqueur
3 medium pears firm texture, cored and peeled
½ cup sliced almonds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. If your oven has a convection setting, use a convection bake setting. Line the bottom of the 9x3-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides and the bottom of the springform pan with butter or cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup white sugar, melted butter, and egg, and beat using a whisk for about 1 or 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Mix in Greek yogurt, vanilla, and almond extract, and whisk just until combined.
Add the flour mixture gradually, and whisk it together with the wet ingredients just until combined. Do not over-mix.
You will use 3 pears. Chop one peeled and cored pear into small chunks. Fold the chopped pear into the cake batter.
Slice the remaining 2 pears (peeled and cored) into thin slices. Don't add them to the cake yet.
Pour the cake batter (with pear chunks) into the parchment paper-lined springform pan. Arrange pear slices (the remaining 2 pears) tightly on top of the cake in a circular pattern. Top with sliced almonds. See my photos (scroll up) for reference.
Place the baking pan with the cake batter on the middle rack (this is especially important for non-convection ovens). Bake for about 50 minutes or 1 hour until the tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center of the cake (away from the pears) comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool in a springform pan on a wire rack. After cooling the cake for about 30 minutes, release the cake from the springform pan. At this point, if the cake is cool enough, you can slide your hand (or a large wide spatula) under the cake, between the parchment paper and the bottom of the pan, and transfer the cake with the parchment paper attached to its bottom onto a cake plate.
When serving, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
I provide helpful step-by-step photos above the recipe card (scroll up).

Notes

How to properly measure flour using cups

Using measuring cups, the proper way to measure flour is to aerate it first. This is done either by sifting flour, or aerating it by fluffing it up and whisking it well, then spooning it into the measuring cup, then carefully removing any excess flour with a knife. If you just stick that measuring cup in the bag of flour and scoop some out, you will get a lot more flour than the recipe calls for. Do aerate the flour, or you will end up with dry dough!
This aeration tip does not apply to these 2 kinds of popular gluten-free flours, such as Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. Don't deliberately overpack the gluten-free flour into cups but don't sift it either. It's not necessary for a cake packed with so much fruit - the cake will be moist enough.

Baking tips

If you have a convection setting in your oven, use that to bake this cake.
If you don't have a convection setting, bake the cake on the middle rack or above the middle one.
Ensure the oven is fully preheated to 350 F before placing the cake.

What baking pans can you use?

I used a 9x3-inch round springform baking pan in this recipe. I like to line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper, which ensures an even cleaner release.
9x13 rectangular baking pan. Pour the cake batter into the greased cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Use a 12-cup muffin pan. To turn this cake into muffins or cupcakes, chop all 3 pears finely and fold them all into the cake batter. Then, fill the muffin pan ⅔ of the way and bake for about 20 or 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the muffin.
10-inch or 12-inch round high-sided cast-iron skillet. You can make the pear almond cake in a cast-iron skillet, which creates crispy, golden-brown edges with a soft and moist center.

Other notes

Make it gluten-free. This recipe has been tested with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. You can also use King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
Greek yogurt can be replaced with plain Kefir, regular yogurt, or sour cream. I highly recommend using plain Kefir or Greek yogurt - they are light and provide a nice tang.

Nutrition