“What should I blog about this week?” I ask, not really expecting an answer. Looking up from his breakfast, Leo says, “Pears. Pudding.” In Brit-speak (my grandson’s mother’s tongue), “pudding” means “dessert,” or any sweet.
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| Inspiration: ripe pears. |
In front of us on the table is a bowl heaped with pears picked from my neighbor’s garden. They’ve taken almost two weeks to ripen and now they are perfectly sweet, but still firm. So, OK, Leo, this is for you, a sweet pear cake.
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| Chopped pears go into the batter with olive oil and yogurt for a sweet and simple cake. |
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| I'm serving the pear cake with unsweetened Greek-style yogurt. |
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| Olive oil makes a moist cake. |
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| Ice cream would also be lovely with the pear cake. |
Pear Cake with Olive Oil
Bizcocho de Peras con Aceite de Oliva
Bizcocho de Peras con Aceite de Oliva
Use any variety of pear for this cake. The pears should be ripe, but firm. Either grate them coarsely or cut in small dice so they soften during baking but still have some texture.
Bake this cake in a sheet pan or bundt mold. The deep bundt pan will require longer baking time than sheet pan.
12 ounces firm, ripe pears (2-3), peeled and cored
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + additional to oil the pan
½ cup plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 360ºF. Oil a 6-cup bundt pan.
Coarsely grate or finely dice the pears. You should have about 1 ¼ cups fruit. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and stir in the zest. Set aside.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda, salt and cardamom into a small bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light. Beat in the oil and yogurt until batter is smooth. Add the flour mixture gradually and beat until just smooth.
Fold the pears into the cake batter. Pour into oiled pan. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of the pan and a thin skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Bake this cake in a sheet pan or bundt mold. The deep bundt pan will require longer baking time than sheet pan.
12 ounces firm, ripe pears (2-3), peeled and cored
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + additional to oil the pan
½ cup plain yogurt
Preheat oven to 360ºF. Oil a 6-cup bundt pan.
Coarsely grate or finely dice the pears. You should have about 1 ¼ cups fruit. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and stir in the zest. Set aside.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda, salt and cardamom into a small bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light. Beat in the oil and yogurt until batter is smooth. Add the flour mixture gradually and beat until just smooth.
Fold the pears into the cake batter. Pour into oiled pan. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of the pan and a thin skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
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| Cool the cake in the pan. |
Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Loosen the edges with a thin knife. Invert the pan onto a rack. Allow to cool completely.
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| Cool completely. |
More recipes with pears:
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