Description
This Spiced Pear Cake is a moist, nutty, and warmly spiced cake featuring almond meal, rye flour, aromatic mixed spices, and delicate slices of pear arranged on top. It boasts a tender crumb and a rich, buttery flavor, with a distinct touch of warmth from the spice blend. Perfect as a cozy treat for breakfast, dessert, or afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
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For the Cake
- 200 g butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (140 g) raw sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (70 g) rye flour
- 1 cup (130 g) almond meal
- 1/2 cup (70 g) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, crushed
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For Topping
- 1 Beaurré Bosc pear, top snipped and very thinly sliced
- ground cinnamon, for dusting
- raw sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Prepare the Pan and Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line an 8-inch round springform pan with baking paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal of the cake.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, raw sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy, ensuring the butter is fully incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the rye flour, almond meal, plain flour, baking powder, mixed spice, and flaky salt to the bowl with the creamed mixture. Beat briefly—just a few seconds—until everything is combined into a creamy cake batter. Do not overmix.
- Assemble the Cake: Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top. Arrange the thin pear slices in a circular, fanned pattern over the surface, starting from the center and working outwards. Sprinkle a little raw sugar and a light dusting of ground cinnamon over the pears for added flavor and a caramelized top.
- Bake: Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 55 minutes or until the cake is well-risen, golden, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes. Carefully remove it from the tin and serve warm, either on its own or with a dollop of cream or ice cream if desired.
Notes
- The pear slices should be paper thin to prevent sinking into the batter during baking.
- You can substitute apple for pear if desired.
- For a nuttier cake, replace the plain flour with 1/2 cup toasted and crushed pecan nuts.
- To make the cake gluten-free, substitute the rye and plain flour with sorghum flour, chestnut flour, or a combination of these with crushed pecan nuts.
- Mixed spice can be replaced with any sweet baking spice blend such as apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, or gingerbread spice mix.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of cake)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
