Looking for a simple and delicious bake? Make a dessert without the fuss of sticky dough, exploding fillings or splitting eggs? Look no further! This recipe is always a winner. I promise you this pear and almond tart with a crumble topping is super duper easy to make. And super duper tasty. Can it get any better? Yes, drizzle your piece with limoncello just before serving! For children (or non-drinkers) you can serve it with some ice cream.

Ingredients (for 8-10 pieces of cake)

for the base of the tart:
2 ripe pears, peeled and sliced (when pears are out if season, use a tin pear halves on syrup)
140 gram soft unsalted butter
a small extra knob of butter (for greasing the springform pan)
3 eggs
5 tablespoons milk
handful of raisins
200 gram self raising baking flour
1,5 teaspoon baking powder
90 gram fine caster sugar
80 gram bleached almond, grounded (almond flour)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or a dash of Amaretto liquor)
few drops of vanilla extract (or seeds of 1 vanilla pod)
teaspoon of cinnamon powder
pinch of salt

for the topping:
60 gram melted unsalted butter
75 gram self raising baking flour
60 gram Demara sugar (light brown sugar)
70 gram almond flakes
icing sugar, for serving

Limoncello for serving (optional) or ice cream (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven on 200° Celcius, grease a springform pan (about 22 cm), and line the bottom with baking paper.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients for the base, except the pears and raisins, and mix in one minute together with an electric hand mixer, until fluffy and pale (no lumps).

Poor into the baking tin and smooth evenly.

Cut the pears into quarters first and then again each quarter in three slices. Place them round on top of your batter, it doesn’t have to be very neat as there is still the top crumble layer to come. Sprinkle the raisins over the cake, too.

Mix for your topping the sugar together with the flour. Add the melted butter and crumble with a fork. Stir in half of the almond flakes, and divide topping over the pears. Sprinkle the other half of the almonds flakes on top of the crumble layer.

Bake the tart for about 45 minutes in a preheated oven. When the topping of the tart gets too dark too soon (keep an eye on it after 30 minutes!), you can cover the tart with some tinfoil, maybe during the last 15 minutes.

Take the cake out of the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes, then carefully cut the edges and remove the spring cake tin. Allow to cool completely.

Before serving dust with icing sugar, and sprinkle with limoncello if you like. You can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Personally I found it not necessary with this cake, but it goes well together so if you can’t resist: add some.

The result is a delicious, bit soggy (in a positive way) and not too sweet pear-and-almond frangipane style cake. Easy to make and everybody will like it. Great as dessert but also around 10am with a coffee.

Layer pears and raisons on batter
Add crumble topping and sprinkle almond flakes on, then place in oven….
….after 45 minutes your cake is done! Allow to cool and Bon Appétit !