This pear cake is simple yet elegant, a perfect match with your afternoon tea or as an ending to a fall feast. The ripe pears almost melt into the soft and airy cake. This recipe will become a fall favourite!

Pear Cake
3 ripe d'anjou pears
1 cup (216g) sugar
1 cup (227g) butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
1 tsp (7g) vanilla 
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup (139g) Flourist Sifted Red Fife Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
Toasted almonds and confectioners' sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and dust lightly with flour, shake off any excess.

Peel and core the pears, and slice thinly. Fan the slices on the bottom of the pan in a tight circle, starting from the outside and working towards the middle.

Beat the butter in a stand mixer until light and creamy, add the sugar and continue creaming until fluffy. Scrape down the batter with a spatula. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition, pour in the vanilla and combine. 

Sift together the Flourist Sifted Red Fife Flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing until just incorporated and scraping down the batter with a spatula. The batter should be thin and light.

Pour the batter over the pears and smooth out the top. Bake for approximately 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the centre no longer wobbles. Let cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife along the edge. Once the cake has fully cooled, invert onto a cooling rack, and invert once more onto a serving plate (the pears are on the bottom and the golden brown side facing up). Garnish with toasted almonds and a light dusting of confectioners' sugar (optional) before serving.