Fresh Pear & Walnut Torte

From the blog For Love of the Table

2 or 3 ripe pears (about 1 lb.), peeled, quartered cored and cut into scant 1/2-inch thick wedges (see note)

1/2 T. lemon juice

2 T. sugar

1 c. all-purpose flour (120 grams)

1/4 c. walnuts, lightly toasted and finely ground (30 grams)

1 t. baking powder

1/8 t. ground cloves

3/8 t. salt

8 T. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. golden brown sugar

Zest of 1 small lemon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 c. plain yogurt or buttermilk

1 t. vanilla

1 T. sugar

Grease a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan. Line with a round of parchment and grease the parchment. Flour the pan and tap out the excess.

Place the pears in a medium-sized bowl and toss together with the lemon juice and 2 T. of sugar. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, baking powder, cloves and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugars and zest until light and fluffy—3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Fold in half of the dry ingredients. If the pears have given up a lot of juice, add this juice, along with the yogurt, to the batter and fold in. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Arrange the pears in a snug spiral on top and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake the cake in a pre-heated 350° oven until a toothpick inserted in the center (in the cake, not the fruit) comes out clean—about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for ten minutes before removing from the pan. To remove, run a palette knife around the edge and flip the cake out of the pan. Flip it back over onto a cooling rack and allow the cake to cool completely before serving. If you like, dredge sparingly with powdered sugar before serving. Serve with softly whipped cream or crème fraiche. Serves 8 to 10.

Note:

Any ripe (but firm), fragrant pear will work well in this cake. Bosc pears—because they are narrow with long necks—will look the most attractive. Wedges of Bartlett or Anjou will leave a gap of plain cake visible in the center of the cake...which still looks very nice.
I measured the thickness of my pears at the widest point. If you have 2 pears, you will get about 16 slices per pear...if you have 3, you should get about 12 slices per pear.

http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2015/09/a-pear-walnut-torte-to-welcome-autumn.html

As published on forloveofthetable.com