Cooking- Pear & Hazelnut Cake
This simple cake is a perfect expression of two of fall's treasures... pears and hazelnuts. An adaptation of a classic french yogurt cake, this cake makes a lovely ending to a Sunday dinner or a not too sweet treat for weekend brunch.
The recipe below is my gluten-free adaptation of Clotilde Dusoulier's 'Pear & Chestnut Cake' from her beautiful new book, 'The French Market Cookbook'. I'm tremendously inspired by all of her lovely recipes! I appreciate the produce centered, updated take on french classics, which is exactly how I like to cook at home.
Our family dinners for this week are all versions of recipes from the book and will include: Spiced Carrot & Almond Soup, Savory Pumpkin & Cornmeal Quickbread, Yellow Wax Bean, Red Rice & Almond Salad, Roasted Root Vegetables with Sauce Gribiche... and a few more. Are you hungry yet?? I am!!
Enjoy!
Pear & Hazelnut Cake
Yields 1, 8" x 2" round cake, about 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unrefined cane sugar
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (or unsweetened dairy-free yogurt)
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup hazelnut meal
1 (scant) cup brown rice flour
2 TB tapioca flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large pears, cored and diced, skin left on
2 TB crystal sanding sugar, for sprinkling on top
Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment.
2- In a medium bowl, beat together the cane sugar and the eggs. Add the yogurt and the olive oil and beat until combined.
3- Add the flours, salt, baking powder/ soda, and xanthan gum to incorporate fully. Gently stir in the diced pears.
4- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with crystal sugar. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
5- Let the cake cool in the pan for 1 hour then transfer it to a rack to cool completely before serving.