Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Butter room temperature (plus 1 Tbsp for greasing the pan)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup whole milk Greek Yogurt room temperature
• 1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs room temperature
• 2 cups Almond Flour
• 3/4 cup Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cardamom
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 medium D'Anjou Pears (about 14 oz)
• 2 Tbsp Coarse Turbinado Sugar

• 3/4 cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Water
• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter cubed
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream room temperature
• 1 tsp rum
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the base with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and airy, about 3 minutes. While you wait, in a separate medium sized bowl, whisk the almond flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together. Set aside.
3. Stop the mixer and, using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer to medium low and add the yogurt and vanilla extract; then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Turn the mixture to low and then slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, taking care to not overmix the dough.
5. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread the batter into the prepared cake pan.
6. Clean and peel the pears. Slice the pears thinly (about 1/4-inch thickness is good), then arrange the sliced pears on top of the cake in a concentric circle, overlapping them a bit. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the turbinado sugar.
7. Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the springform pan and let cool completely.
8. While the cake is baking, make the rum toffee sauce. Place the brown sugar and water in a medium saucepan set to medium high heat, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil while whisking. (Note: Stop stirring once the sugar crystals dissolve.) Add the butter and cream, and bring back up to a boil while whisking constantly for at least 4 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and stir in the rum, vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool to room temperature. (The sauce should thicken while it cools.)
10. Serve the cake while still slightly warm, and drizzle the toffee sauce on it immediately before serving.