Pear Almond Cake With Chocolate Chunks Recipes

PEAR ALMOND CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CHUNKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grease and flour a 9 inch cakepan or springform pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a larger bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 eggs until pale yellow, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in butter.
• Stir flour mixture in until just combined, don't over-mix.
• Pour half of the mixture in pan, top with half the pear slices and half the chocolate; then pour the rest of the mixture and top with remaining pears and chocolate.
• In a food processor, grind 1/4 cup almonds with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar; add egg white and process until smooth.
• Drizzle almond mixture over cake, then sprinkle with remaining almond slices.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then dust with Confectioners' sugar.

OLD-FASHIONED ALMOND PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the pears, ginger and lemon juice; set aside., In another bowl, beat the eggs, confectioners' sugar, butter and extract until blended. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually beat into egg mixture until blended. Stir in pear mixture., Transfer to a greased 9-in. springform pan; sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND SHERRY CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• To prepare the cake
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a buttered 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep) with a round of foil and butter foil.
• In a food processor grind almonds fine with 1/4 cup sugar. Add chocolate and, pulsing motor, chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks with 1/4 cup remaining sugar until thick and pale and stir in almond mixture. (Mixture will be very stiff.)
• In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites with salt until just stiff. Stir one third whites into almond mixture to lighten it and fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. let cake cool in pan on a rack about 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl stir together orange juice, Sherry, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved. With a skewer poke holes evenly in top of cake and spoon juice mixture evenly over cake.
• Let cake cool completely. Run knife around edge of pan and invert cake onto plate (discard foil). Cake keeps, wrapped and chilled, 5 days.
• To prepare the sauce
• In a small saucepan heat half-and-half over moderate heat until it barely simmers. In a small bowl whisk together yolk, sugar, Sherry, and a pinch of salt.
• Whisk 1/4 cup half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper it and pour yolk mixture into remaining half-and-half, whisking.
• Cook sauce over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened (160°F. on a candy thermometer), about 3 minutes, being careful not to let it boil. Transfer sauce to a small pitcher and chill, covered partially, at least 30 minutes. Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days. Makes about 2/3 cups.
• To prepare the pears
• Cut pear (unpeeled) into eights and trim core. In a heavy 8-inch skillet heat butter over moderately high heat until melted and foamy. Add pear wedges and sauté 1 minute on each side. Sprinkle sugar over pear wedges and sauté, turning a few times, until sugar is caramelized and pear is tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Serve cake at room temperature with Sherry custard sauce and caramelized pears.

ALMOND AND PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a small tart pan or a 9-inch cake pan.
• Mix pear slices and amaretto liqueur together in a bowl.
• Process almonds and 2 tablespoons sugar together in a food processor until the mixture is a fine almond meal.
• Beat 1/4 cup sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy; add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Mix almond meal mixture, flour, and salt into creamed butter mixture to make a smooth batter.
• Drain pears, reserving the amaretto liqueur. Stir drained liqueur into batter just until incorporated.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing batter if uneven. Arrange pear slices in a decorative pattern atop batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake is starting to pull away from the edges, about 25 minutes. Allow cake to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before serving.