Pear and Almond Crunch Cake
https://glutenfree-bread.com/
Ingredients:
| Name | Metric | US | TIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190° C. Line the bottom of an 8-inch /20 cm cake pan with parchment paper.
- 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.
- To prepare the pear filling, place the sliced Pears in a small bowl and mix in the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Then, spoon the remaining batter over the pears and gently spread it into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the prepared crumble and almond slices on top.
- 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.
- 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.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving!