Pear Almond Cake – Julia’s Album

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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!

 

Why you’ll love pear almond cake

• Light, healthier cake. I love that it’s not overloaded with unnecessary calories. There is no frosting, no cake layers. I used only 2 oz of butter (¼ cup) + 1 cup of Greek yogurt (kefir works great, too!). As you can see, most of the butter here is replaced with Greek yogurt compared to other similar cake recipes. And the cake is packed with fruit (3 pears!) and fiber-rich nuts (½ cup of sliced almonds!).
• Quick and easy. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare everything and then you just bake the pear almond cake for 50 minutes (idle time you can spend doing something fun!).
• So much flavor. I used 3 sweet pears with a firm texture. I peeled them, chopped up one pear, and mixed it in with the cake batter. I added the remaining 2 pears (thinly sliced) on top of the cake in a circular pattern. Pears add the most amazing flavor to any dessert – try it for yourself, and you’ll see what I mean.  Just like in this chocolate pear cake.
• Flexible recipe. I tested this recipe with gluten-free flour and it works great! More on that below. You can also easily adjust it to make it dairy-free.

The ingredients

• Flour. Use regular all-purpose flour or cake flour. You can also use gluten-free flour – this cake has been tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and King Arthur gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
• Baking powder. Make sure it’s fresh so that the cake rises.
• Butter. I used melted salted butter and did not add any extra salt. Melt it gently and briefly in the microwave oven.
• Sugar. Use regular granulated white sugar.
• The egg adds texture.
• Vanilla.  Real vanilla extract or imitation vanilla.
• Greek yogurt adds a tang and moist texture to the cake. I have also made this cake with plain Kefir. I almost prefer using Kefir!
• Fresh pears. Choose ripe sweet pears with a firm texture. They hold up better during the baking process. I used 3 medium pears, peeled and cored. I chopped one pear and mixed it with the cake batter. I thinly sliced 2 other pears and added them on top of the cake.
• Sliced almonds. I used ½ cup of sliced almonds. Slivered ones will work, too.

How to make pear almond cake

Here are step-by-step photos and an overview of the instructions. Scroll down to the recipe card for the complete recipe (including the amounts of ingredients!).

1) Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare the baking pan. Line the bottom of the 9×3-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides and the bottom of the springform pan with butter or cooking spray.

2) Make cake batter. 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. Chop one peeled and cored pear into small chunks. Fold the chopped pear into the cake batter.

3) Pour the cake batter (with pear chunks) into the parchment paper-lined springform pan.

4) Top the cake batter with pears. Slice the remaining 2 pears (peeled and cored) into thin slices. Arrange them tightly on top of the cake in a circular pattern.

5) Top with sliced almonds.

6) 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.

Best pears for baking

Pick pears with a firm texture that will hold up well when baking. The pears should be ripe yet firm. Avoid fruit with a soft and mushy texture. You will be peeling them for this recipe, and it should be easy with firm pears. You’ll find that pears with mushy texture will be almost impossible to peel. Any variety of pears will work, the sweeter, the better.

How to make it gluten-free

You can easily make pear almond cake 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. Do not sift these flours – but do not deliberately pack them into a measuring cup, either.

How to make it dairy-free

• Use ¼ cup of light olive oil or other vegetable oil instead of ¼ cup of butter (2 oz). Use vegetable oil of a neutral flavor, such as avocado or canola.
• Use ¾ cup of dairy-free yogurt, such as unsweetened almond milk yogurt or unsweetened cashew milk yogurt, instead of Greek yogurt. Or, use ¾ cup of olive oil or other cooking oil instead of yogurt.

Baking tips

• Baking dish. I used a 9×3-inch springform pan. You can also use a 10-inch or 12-inch cast iron skillet. I provide more options for other baking dishes in the recipe card below.
• Greek yogurt adds a tender, fluffy, moist texture to the pear almond cake. You can also use buttermilk, kefir, or sour cream instead.
• Use a scale to measure flour or aerate the flour well. Aerate the flour by fluffing it with a spoon and adding it into your measuring cup with the spoon instead of just packing the flour into the cup. This will prevent the flour from overpacking. Using too much flour as a result of overpacking will produce a denser cake texture.
• Use pure almond extract or Amaretto liqueur.
• Add lemon zest for more flavor or use it instead of almond extract.

What goes great with cake

• Confectioners’ sugar. Make sure the cake is completely cooled off. Lightly dust it with confectioners’ sugar using a fine mesh strainer (such as a tea strainer) right before serving as the sugar tends to get absorbed by the moist texture of the cake.
• Ice cream. Serve a warm slice of pear almond cake with a simple plain vanilla ice cream.
• Caramel sauce. Drizzle the cake lightly with caramel sauce and then top with more almonds. In that case, toast the sliced almonds in the oven until they turn golden brown to make them crunchy.
• Dulce de leche is a caramelized milk that creates a beautiful and delicious drizzle.
• Whipped cream is another way to elevate this simple cake.

Storage Tips

• Keep the cake at room temperature for the first 48 hours. Cool it completely, then loosely cover it with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving spaces for air. You can store it at room temperature this way for up to 48 hours.
• Fridge. Store pear cake refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or covered with aluminum foil.
• Can you freeze this cake?   Once the cake is completely cool, freeze it within 2 days of baking. Wrap it tightly in an airtight plastic wrap or with aluminum foil. Or, slice into smaller pieces and transfer the slices to freezer bags or a sturdier freezer container.

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