Amazing Pear Torte, adaptation from Smitten Kitchen

I am so obsessed with this pear torte.  SO OBSESSED.

You’ll recall that I made Smitten Kitchen’s take on a famous plum torte recipe, which was amazing—lightly sweet, with a slightly crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping, and the plums turning into these pockets of soft, sweet, gooey goodness.

And I remember wondering at the time whether pears would do the same, because I love them dearly.  I finally got around to giving this a try, and yes, it’s just as good—pear torte FTW!

You can either eat this straight out of the oven, or let it sit overnight and the juices from the fruit and the skin become even more entrenched in the cake. It’s hard to wait that long, but totally worth it.

Man, pears are the best.  You want them really ripe if possible.  I have done it both as halves and lightly carving out the cores with a spoon, or cutting them into quarters (removing the cores).  Either works fine.

Heat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) together. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and cup of sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and light.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as you go, then add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spoon the batter into a greased 9-inch regular or springform pan (I sprayed mine lightly with cooking spray). Smooth out the top and arrange the pears, cut-side down, all over the batter. The pears should cover up as much of the batter as possible. 

Sprinkle the top of the cake with lemon juice, then the cinnamon and sugar.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center (non-plum) part of the cake comes out clean.

Cool on a rack. Once cool, consider letting it stand at room temperature covered overnight, since it’s even better the second day.

Oh man, I want to make it again right now!  One of the great things about this pear torte is that it only takes about 15 minutes to put together and put in the oven. Rarely do you get a cake that seems so fancy and takes so little effort.

Other easy fruity desserts you’ll love:

• The inspiration for this:  Smitten Kitchen’s Plum Torte
• Mini Pavlovas with Grapefruit Curd & Berries
• Lemon Raspberry Swirl Cake with Raspberry Frosting
• Honey Apple Tart

Amazing Pear Torte

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder (aluminum-free if you have it)
• Large pinch of salt
• 1 cup of granulated sugar (I’d back off this a little, maybe 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large or (recommended) 3-4 small, ripe pears, halved and cored
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
• 1-2 tablespoons of sugar

Man, pears are the best.  You want them really ripe.  I have done it both as halves and lightly carving out the cores, or cutting them into quarters (removing the cores).  Either works fine.

Heat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) together. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and cup of sugar together until the mixture is fluffy and light.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as you go, then add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spoon the batter into a greased 9-inch regular or springform pan (I sprayed mine lightly with cooking spray). Smooth out the top and arrange the pears, cut-side down, all over the batter. The pears should cover up as much of the batter as possible.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with lemon juice, then the cinnamon and sugar.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center (non-plum) part of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Once cool, consider letting it stand at room temperature covered overnight, since it’s even better the second day.

This is adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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