Equally delicious served as a cake with an afternoon cup of tea, or enjoyed warm from the oven as a comforting pud, this sumptuously moist cake only takes 25 mins to throw together.
Pears are in season in the UK from late September until January so this bake really is perfect during the colder months. The nutty almond sponge and topping will make your house smell amazing as it cooks away in the oven.
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Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 40 mins
Cal/Serv:
514
Ingredients
225g
unsalted butter, softened
250g
caster sugar
3
medium eggs, lightly beaten
125g
self-raising flour
Few drops almond essence
75g
ground almonds
FOR THE TOPPING
2
medium pears
2Tbsp.
demerara sugar
15g
flaked almonds
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Line base and sides of a 20.5cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Beat the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl using a handheld electric whisk, until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition - if the mixture looks as if it might curdle, mix in 1tbsp of the flour. Beat in the almond essence.
Step 2
Using a large metal spoon, fold in the (remaining) flour and ground almonds. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for 20min.
Step 3
Meanwhile, peel, halve and core the pears. Slice halves lengthways into 5mm thick slices then, keeping the slices together, fan them slightly.
Step 4
When the cake has baked for 20min, carefully take it out of oven. Working quickly, use a palette knife to lift the pear fans on to the partially cooked cake (they should sink slightly). Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and flaked almonds. Return cake to oven for a further 55min, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10min, then remove from tin and transfer to a wire rack. Serve just warm or at room temperature.
To store
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.
What kind of pears should I use?
Any variety of pears should work well in this cake, though conference are the traditional choice for baking. Look for pears that are firm with no soft spots or bruising, when ripe the pear should yield slightly when squeezed gently. If your pears are rock hard, pop them in a paper bag with a ripe banana for a day or two to speed up the ripening.
What should I serve with my pear and almond cake?
It's delicious just as it is, or serve just warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or warm custard.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
