Torta alle Pere

I've always had a love for Italian food, everything from delicious pastas to decedent desserts, but it wasn't until I started working at a delicious Italian restaurant in downtown Halifax that I started to truly appreciate it.
Learning how to work with beautiful good quality ingredients; You can add a little love, a dash of this, and a pinch of that and the result are flavors that marry together and create mouthwatering plates.

On Monday, I decided to take a break from staring out the window wishing for sun and bake! I might cook all day at work (and love every minute of it) but when I'm at home I turn to the flour and parchment paper before the onions and chicken stock!
To satisfy my baking needs, I pulled out one of my favorite Italian cook books 'Passione' written by Gennaro Contaldo. There were two recipes that caught my eye, the first a Torta al Cioccolato e Vino Rosso (chocolate and red wine cake) and the second being the Torta alle Pere. The chocolate cake seemed like a good choice, however in my house chocolate doesn't last long and wine? Well that goes even faster! And so I starting whipping up the Torta alle Pere.

Torta alle Pere

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small chunks
1 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp full-fat milk
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 pears
4 tbsp apricot jam (for glaze)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch round shallow cake tin with butter and line the base with a circle piece of parchment paper.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, butter, and honey together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the milk, beating well. Then sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the top and fold in with a metal spoon, adding vanilla extract too. Core and dice 3 of the pears and mix them in.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Core and thinly slice the 2 remaining pears and arrange them on the top. Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake has risen and is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
• If you want to glaze the cake, make up the apricot glaze by diluting the apricot jam with a little water and then heating it gently, stir until smooth. Sieve the warm glaze and brush it immediately over the top of the cake.

                        

This cake turned out wonderfully, it was so moist and delicious, I highly recommend that you try it!