Gluten Free Orange Almond Pear Cake

We are fully into the holiday season, which means baking in my kitchen as at an annual high. Flour covers our dark wood floors and there’s almost always butter softening to room temperature so that I can make some cookies. Whether it be bread, tarts, cookies, or cake like this Orange Almond Pear Cake, our sweet tooths are always at full peak this time of year. Believe it or not with the sweet cravings that go on in this house, we aren’t overly big on super sweet desserts that are loaded with icings and fillings. We like a little sweet that is just enough to satisfy, not something that would send us to the dentist every other week. Even when it comes to making desserts throughout the winter season, I always try to be mindful when using fresh fruit and produce and try to ensure that it is in season. Pears, apples, and citrus are peaking right now, so I figured a nice pairing of orange and pear would be the perfect flavor combos in this gluten free almond cake. Since my wife is trying to be extra careful about how much gluten goes in to her body, I figured I would accommodate her request and make this cake. Thank goodness for Bob’s Red Mill and their Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour as well as their almond meal. I mean honestly, because of these two flours, I can replicate just about every cake or cookie I want to make with ease, and most importantly without suffering in the flavor department. I seriously do not know how I would ever be able to pull off such sweet delicious desserts that are free of gluten without these, so here’s a huge Thank You to you, Bob! The batter is a simple combo of 1-to-1 flour, almond meal, butter, sugar, eggs, orange zest, mascarpone cheese, and a touch of cream. Finish it up by adding on some peeled and cored pears, and into the oven it goes. I like this cake because it’s so easy to make and so ridiculously good. While most folks enjoy desserts when they get a craving or soon after a meal, I like them at the crack of dawn with a hot cup of black coffee. The perfect pairing of a lightly sweetened cake, or tart, paired with dark coffee is seriously my bliss. This cake is amazing and most definitely worth a shot throughout this holiday season. Happy baking!

Gluten Free Orange Almond Pear Cake Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 70 minutes | Makes 1 cake

• 1 ½ cups Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
• ¼ cup Mascarpone Cheese
• 4 Eggs
• Zest of ½ Orange
• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal
• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 3 Bartlett pears, peeled, stemmed, and cored, sliced in half long ways
• 1 cup Sliced Almonds
• Orange Zest and Powdered Sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the butter and sugar to a standing mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Next, add in the mascarpone and heavy cream on low speed and then add in one egg at a time until they are completely mixed in. Mix in the orange zest. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, meal, and baking powder until combined, and then slowly add it to the standing mixer on low speed until mixed in. Transfer the batter to a prepared 9-inch springform pan, smooth out the top, and place the pears over top to form a circle. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until browned and firm in the center. Cool completely before garnishing with the sliced almonds, orange zest, and powdered sugar.

Hello, I’m Billy Parisi, but to some I’m known as “Chef Billy Parisi.” I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but for the most part I’m a Food & Content Creator, Sometimes TV Host, Digital and Social Strategist, Influencer, Picture Taker, Coffee Drinker, Daddy, Husband, College Sports Enthusiast, Fashionisto, Film & Music Lover!

I’ve been in the kitchen since I started washing dishes in a restaurant at the age of 13, and during that time I knew immediately that I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Arizona’s Scottsdale Culinary Institute and the University of Missouri, and have logged several years as line cook, sous chef, and executive in some of the Midwest’s finest restaurants. I currently live in the city of Chicago with my wife Lindsay and daughter Olivia and cook up new inventions, mash-ups, fusions, and twists on old classics. I’m incredibly spontaneous and outgoing, and run two small businesses, BPMVC, and my latest venture, 5 Loaves 2 Fish!