Pear and Almond Crunch Cake

https://glutenfree-bread.com/

Ingredients:

Name	Metric	US
Blanched Almond Flour	200 gr	2 cups
Use Blanched almond flour, not almond meal. The latter makes baked goods heavy and dense, and not what we want for this cake!
Potato Starch	30 gr	1/4 cup
You can also substitute it with corn starch
Light Brown Sugar	60 gr	1/3 cup
Coconut sugar or a brown sugar substitute can also be used.
Baking Powder	10 gr	1 tablespoon
Vanilla Extract	6 ml	1 teaspoon
Eggs, room temperature divided	3	3
Butter, room temperature	55 gr	4 tablespoons
You can also substitute it with an equal amount of vegetable oil or light olive oil.
Greek Yogurt	235 ml	1 cup
You can also substitute it with an equal amount of sour cream.
Salt	2 gr	1/4 teaspoon

Optional Ingredients for the Crumb Topping:

25g / 1/4 cup Almond Flour
40 gr / 3 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
55 gr / 4 tablespoons Butter, cold and cubed
6 gr / 1 tsp Cinnamon
25 gr / 3 tablespoons slivered Almonds
1 large Pear, peeled, cut in quarters and sliced

Ingredients for Filling:

1 large Pear (or 2 medium), peeled, cored, and sliced
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

Steps:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190° C. Line the bottom of an 8-inch /20 cm cake pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

To prepare the crumble topping, combine Almond Flour, Butter, Cinnamon, and Brown Sugar in a medium bowl. Use a fork or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Set it aside.

Step 3

To prepare the pear filling, place the sliced Pears in a small bowl and mix in the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar. Set aside.

Step 4

To prepare the cake batter, combine the Butter and Sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the Egg yolks, Vanilla Extract, and Yogurt, and continue mixing until smooth. Then, add the Almond Flour, Potato Starch, Baking Powder, and Salt. Mix on low speed until just combined.

Step 5

Beat the Egg Whites until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold about a third of the whipped egg whites into the cake batter. Then, add the remaining egg whites in two additions, gently folding them into the batter. Be careful not to overmix, as this can deflate the egg whites.

Step 6

Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Arrange a single layer of the prepared pear slices on top, discarding any excess juice.

Step 7

Then, spoon the remaining batter over the pears and gently spread it into an even layer.

Step 8

Sprinkle the prepared crumble and almond slices on top.

Step 9

Peel and core the remaining large pear, then cut it into quarters and slice each quarter. Arrange the sliced pear on top and gently press them into the crumble.

Step 10

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after about 40 minutes, and if the top begins to darken too much, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

Step 11

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving!