Pear Almond Olive Oil Cake

A recipe for an olive oil cake always catches my eye and piques my curiosity. I love them because they bake with a moist and tender crumb and keep for a day or so with little diminution of these ideal traits.

It is still citrus season here, and by my casual observations, this year is delivering bumper crops! I’m seeing front yard gardens with tons of ripening fruits:  lemons, oranges, limes, and likely other varieties I cannot identify without trespassing onto private property.

When my friend Leah gifted me with lemons from her tree, this recipe came to mind. We were at a cook/bake/eat dinner at another friend’s where I made a pear frangipane galette for dessert. It was an easy step to bake up a cake version of the dessert, especially when I still had all the ingredients lying about the kitchen.

I usually use a hand-held mixer for cakes, especially single-layer cakes where there is not a large volume of batter. It feels like I have better control of whipping and mixing, plus it’s easier for me to bring out the hand-held rather than my larger stand mixer.

A few advance notes: 1. Use an extra-virgin olive oil that you enjoy. I make this with a “fruit-forward” profile, but a “grassy” profile would be good too. For me, I’d avoid a strong “peppery” olive oil, but you do you.  2. Remember to remove the zest from the lemon before squeezing the juice. No matter how well I know this, I have forgotten many times.  3. Select pears that are ripe but still firm. They need to withstand the baking period and still hold their texture.  4. Take some care in placing the sliced pears onto the cake batter. It is difficult to adjust once they’re set in. That said, any design (or none) will do, just be sure to fan them out so they cook evenly and through.

This recipe is from Bake from Scratch, September-October 2020 edition. I knew I would bake this as soon as I saw it and can confirm it has been in regular rotation ever since.

Pear Almond Olive Oil Cake

Adapted from Bake from Scratch, Laura Crandall

Makes one 9-inch cake

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Ingredients

  

• 2 extra-large eggs room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil extra-virgin
• 2/3 cup almond flour blanched, fine ground
• 1/3 cup whole milk room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt fine ground
• 2 medium Anjou or Bosc pears ripe but still firm
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• confectioners' (powdered) sugar optional

Instructions

 

• Position an oven rack to the mid-oven position and preheat the oven to 350°F.  Oil the sides of a 9-inch round springform pan, lightly dust with flour. Line the removable bottom with parchment and fasten the sides back accordingly.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
• Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute.  Add sugar in a slow, steady stream. Increase to high speed until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce to low speed, and while mixer is running, pour the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Mix until oil is fully incorporated. Add almond flour, milk, lemon zest, and extracts. Beat on medium speed until combined.
• On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until barely incorporated.  Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl if needed. Folding in the flour with a spatula toward the end as necessary, be careful to not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Cut the pear(s) in half lengthwise, core and de-stem. Slice the pear halves into 1/ 8-inch-thick slices. Divide the slices into groups of 4– 5. Arrange into a fan-shape and gently arrange the slices on top of the batter in a decorative pattern, leaving a 1-inch border around outside edge of the pan. Brush the slices with lemon juice. Sprinkle almonds between the arranged groups of pears and around the edge of the pan.
• Bake about 50 – 55 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. It should come out with only a few crumbs clinging.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 15minutes.  Remove the sides of the springform pan and cool completely before serving.
• Optional confectioners' sugar garnish: Before serving, cut a 7-inch circle of parchment paper and lay it over the center of the cake. Sprinkle the confectioners' sugar through a fine mesh sieve around the outer edges.