Pear and Olive Oil Cake by Chef

A delightful and moist cake featuring ripe pears, olive oil, and a hint of almond extract.

Ingredients

Ingredients
	butter for greasing the pan
4	ripe pears, such as Comice, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4	cup meyer lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
1	tablespoon meyer lemon zest, crushed
2	cups flour
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon salt
3	eggs
1	cup sugar
1	cup olive oil
1/4	teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

• 1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper.
  2. Combine meyer lemon zest and sugar, crushing the zest with your fingers until evenly distributed.
  3. Prepare the pears by coring and cutting them into 1-inch pieces with the skins on. Place them in a bowl, pour meyer lemon juice over them, toss to coat, and let sit.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  5. In a large bowl, crack the eggs. Whisk with sugar until pale and expanded in volume. Gradually whisk in olive oil until smooth. Add almond extract and continue whisking.
  6. Add the juicy pears into the egg mixture, then sift the flour mixture on top. Gently fold everything together just until the flour disappears.
  7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spread it evenly, and bake for about an hour. The cake should be dark brown, fragrant, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean. If needed, cover with foil to prevent burning. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it cool completely for a couple of hours.
  8. Slice the cake using a bread knife. Leftover slices can be enjoyed as is or warmed in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

Jul 19, 2024