Pear Almond Streusel Cake Recipes

ITALIAN PEAR ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375° F.
• Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and white sugar together at medium speed until pale in colour and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl between eggs (be sure to get all the way to the bottom of the bowl, where unincorporated butter can hide.. With the mixer on low, mix in the all purpose flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan and use a spatula to even out the mixture. (Batter will be thick and fill the pan only to about an inch thick).
• Prepare pears, by peeling, then cutting in half from the stem end to the bottom. Use a small spoon to remove the core and also scrape away the thick spine that runs up to the stem end. Set aside.
• Arrange the pear halves in a circle on the top, cut side down and with the thin end towards the centre of the cake. Sprinkle flaked almonds over-top. Bake in pre-heated 375° oven for about 35 minutes, or until the cake tests clean when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake.
• Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin, then run a knife around the outside and carefully remove the ring and base. Dust with icing/confectioners' sugar before serving.

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.

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.

PEAR-ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Butter and flour 9-inch springform cake pan.
• Toss pears with half of lemon juice and set aside.
• Cream 8 tablespoons of butter ( 1/2 cup) with 3/4 cup of sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt and add remaining lemon juice and almond extract. Stir until ingredients are incorporated. Batter will be thick.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread batter in cake pan and cover with sliced pears. Dot with tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar, then scatter almonds on top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and dot with remaining butter.
• Bake about 50 minutes, until very lightly browned. Allow cake to cool slightly before removing sides of pan. If desired sprinkle finished cake with eau de vie de poire. Serve cake warm or at room temperature. Do not refrigerate. Whipped cream, ice cream or bittersweet chocolate sauce go well with it.

SMALL PEAR AND ALMOND CAKES

Steps:

• Poach pears:
• Peel pears, leaving stems intact, then core from bottom with melon-ball cutter. Toss pears with lemon juice in a bowl as peeled, then arrange on their sides in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Add wine, butter, and lemon juice from bowl (liquid will not cover pears) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pears are just tender, 10 to 20 minutes. Transfer pears with a slotted spoon to a dish. Boil poaching liquid, uncovered, until just syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Spoon syrup over pears and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Prepare cakes:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Pulse almonds with 1/2 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground, then transfer to a bowl (do not clean processor).
• Process butter with 1/2 cup sugar in processor until pale and creamy, then pulse in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition, then pulse in almond mixture, flour, and salt until just combined.
• Lightly butter and flour ramekins, knocking out excess flour, then arrange in a baking pan. Divide batter among ramekins (about a slightly rounded 1/2 cup per ramekin), then gently nestle a pear, leaning it slightly and pressing it very lightly, into batter in center of each cake. (Cakes will rise around pears as they bake.) Reserve reduced poaching liquid for another use. Sprinkle pears and tops of cakes with remaining tablespoon sugar.
• Bake, rotating pan halfway through baking, until cakes are just firm and pale golden with slightly darker edges, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer ramekins to a rack and cool 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of each cake and invert onto a plate. Turn cakes right side up and serve warm or at room temperature.

PEAR-ALMOND UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the butter and brown sugar in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Peel, halve and core the pears. Set one of the halves aside and cut the other three lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Fan the slices out over the perimeter of the sugared skillet. Slice the remaining half crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, place it rounded-side down in the center of the pan and fan out the slices. Set the pan aside.
• To make the cake, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in nuts and then the remaining ingredients. Spoon batter over the fruit; spread it gently with a spatula.
• Bake the cake in the center of the oven until the top is golden and springs back when pressed lightly, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes. Set a cake plate upside down over the pan. Using potholders, tightly grasp both the plate and the pan and invert. Ease the pan off the cake and replace any fruit that sticks to the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

STREUSEL FOR ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, and butter. Mix on low speed to form a coarse meal, about 3 minutes.
• Spread out on prepared baking sheet, and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool on pan. When cool, place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until fine, about 2 minutes.