Ginger Pear Almond Butter Cake

Here's a recipe for another almond cake. Will you believe me if I tell you this recipe is different than the three other almond cake recipes posted on Betsy Bakes?

Yes, this cake is almond-y.
Yes, this cake is dense but light at the same time.
Yes, this cake is easy to put together.
And, yes, this cake is easy to consume standing over the kitchen counter late at night when your husband is in the other room.

The real reason this cake is different (and arguably) better than the other recipes is this cake has BUTTER IN IT. And we all know butter makes everything better.

And let's not forget that it is also filled with a flavorful ginger pear curd.

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Ginger Pear Almond Butter Cake
adapted from New York Times

Almond Butter Cake
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tbsp sliced almonds
extra sugar for garnish

to make gluten free:
replace all-purpose flour with gluten free flour (bob's red mill)
add 1/4 tsp xantham gum
increase eggs from 2 to 3
increase almond flour from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup

Ginger Pear Butter
1 tbsp pear juice
8 oz pears (canned work great), cut into small pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger
3 tbsp butter

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9" spring form pan. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until light and fluffy.

Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the butter/sugar mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until they start to foam. Add eggs and almond flour to batter and mix well.

Spread evenly in pan using a spatula. It will look like there is not enough batter...there is, I promise. Add 8 tbsp of curd (ginger pear butter, lemon curd, strawberry rhubarb jam, etc.) one at a time about 1" in from the perimeter of the pan. Add 3 tbsp of curd to the center. Finish with sliced almonds and 1-2 tbsp of sugar.

Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly brown on the top.

Make the pear butter: In a sauce pan over low/medium heat, cook the juice, pears, sugar, and ginger until it thickens considerably, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Let cool and refrigerate until needed.

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Almond Pear Tart

It turns out that while I have lots of kitchen tools and mixing bowls and pounds of extra chocolate hidden in a cupboard, I don't own a tart pan. So when I came across this Pear and Almond Tart recipe, I decided to buy one immediately. 

If you have never read anything by David Lebovitz, I highly recommend reading a few of his blog posts. His writing is witty and charming and makes me laugh. While his recipes may seem advanced, he does a great job of simplifying them and I promise that you will feel very accomplished after making them.

This recipe is great because it looks beautiful, tastes amazing, and is easy (yes, it is easy, I promise). So why is it so easy? Well, first you start with the most non traditional tart dough recipe I have ever seen which involves melting the butter and sugar in the oven (what?).
**I simply cannot do the description of the recipe justice so please read David's!

Then top the shell with a simple almond filling and finish with a layer of canned pears (which taste just as good as poached pears, in my opinion). And there you have it: a shiny, symmetrical, tasty tart.

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French Pear and Almond Tart
from David Lebovitz

Tart Shell**
85g (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
160g (5.5oz, or 1 rounded cup) all purpose flour

Almond Filling
6 ounces (170 g) almond paste
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp all-purpose flour
3 ounces (85 g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temp.
1 large egg, plus one egg white, at room temp.

3 poached pears, cored and drained and blotted dry (or canned pears but make sure to save the syrup)

Glaze, optional

**Note: If this is your first time making a tart shell, I would highly recommend doubling the dough recipe to give you some flexibility as this recipe makes exactly the right amount (leaving little room for errors).

Make the tart shell: Preheat the oven to 410º F.

In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling.

Remove the bowl from oven, pour in the flour and mix it quickly until it forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart mold (circular or rectangular) with a removable bottom. Spread it with a spatula as it will be very warm to the touch.

Once the dough is cool enough to touch, pat it into the shell with the heel of your hand and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the mold. 

Prick the dough all over with a fork about ten times then bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and and let cool before filling.

Make the tart: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Set the pre-baked tart shell on a baking sheet.

In a stand mixer, beat the almond paste with the sugar and flour until smooth.

Gradually beat in the butter then the egg, egg white, and almond extract. Spread the almond filling evenly over the tart shell.

Fan the pears out evenly over the almond filling, pressing down lightly.

Bake the tart for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the almond filling between the pears has browned.

Make the glaze: If using canned pears, reserve the syrup. Place in a sauce pan and cook over low-medium heat until it reduces to about one third of its original volume. Let cool slightly then brush over tart.

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