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Photograph of Pear Almondine

Pear Almondine

Course Cake, Dessert, treat
Cuisine French
Keyword Almonds, frangipane, pears
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the frangipane:

  • 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature (See Recipe Notes)
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 1 large free-range egg
  • 125g ground almonds/almond meal
  • 20g plain/all-purpose flour, or cornflour
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

Plus:

  • 1 x 400g tin of pear halves in juice or syrup
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons flaked almonds

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Line and grease the base and sides of a round 20cm/8 inch cake tin.

  4. Make the frangipane: ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat; if not, see Recipe Notes.

  5. Weigh all the ingredients into a bowl.

  6. Beat with an electric whisk for about 1 minute, or until combined.

  7. Transfer to the lined and greased baking tin and spread evenly.

  8. Bring it all together: drain the pears – but save the juice – and dab them dry with kitchen paper.

  9. Top the frangipane with the pear halves, cut side down.

  10. Scatter some flaked almonds around the edge of the almondine and in the centre.

  11. Bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven until cooked – around 35 – 40 minutes. It is cooked when the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains.

  12. Make the pear syrup: as the almondine cooks, prepare the pear syrup. Strain the pear juice or syrup from the tin into a saucepan.

  13. Boil briskly over a moderately high heat until only about 2 tablespoons remain and it has reduced to a syrup.

  14. When you take the almondine out of the oven, brush the pears with the pear syrup.

  15. Leave the almondine in the tin for 10 minutes to cool slightly before removing and transferring to a serving plate and sieving some icing sugar over the area with the flaked almonds.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl
  • electric whisk
  • kitchen roll
  • small saucepan
  • greased and lined 20cm/8 inch round cake tin

Soft butter:

If your butter is not soft enough, beat it first, before adding the remaining ingredients, to ensure it is light and soft. However, if your butter is straight out of the fridge and you need to soften the butter:-

  • The best way to do this is to take it out of the fridge around half an hour before you want to use it (you may need less time in hot climates!) and chop into small squares or thin slices. It will soften much more quickly this way.
  • If you do not have time to wait, you can soften it slightly in the microwave. Cut into small squares and blitz in short bursts only. Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 – 10 seconds at a time if you are unsure.