Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or baking flour, sifted or aerated (see note below)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 oz salted butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 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 9×3-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 sugar, melted butter, and eggs, and beat using a whisk for about 1 or 2 minutes until the mixture becomes smooth, light in color, and fluffy.
-
Mix in Greek yogurt, vanilla, and almond extract, and whisk just until combined.
-
Add the flour mixture gradually, adding 1 cup at a time and whisking 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 applies 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.
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 9×3-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.
- 9×13 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. If the cake batter is too thick, add ¼ cup of Greek yogurt.
- 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
Nutrition Information
Pear Almond Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
339
% Daily Value*
Fat
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
7
g
44
%
Trans Fat
0.4
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
4
g
Cholesterol
58
mg
19
%
Sodium
181
mg
8
%
Potassium
139
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
49
g
16
%
Fiber
3
g
13
%
Sugar
26
g
29
%
Protein
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
358
IU
7
%
Vitamin C
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
102
mg
10
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.