This weekend left just enough time to breathe and catch up on life. After a relaxing night at home with the dog on Friday night, I woke up in time for some baking while the sun came through the windows. I’ve been tempted by the idea of baked goods with whole pears for quite some time. This cake is nutty and sweet and has great pear surprises. It looks impressive enough to serve to weekend guests tpor to surprise coworkers at the office.

I hope you had as restful of a weekend as I did. Happy early St. Patricks Day – I’m thinking about some bangers and mash tomorrow night!

Pear Walnut Coffee Cake from Oh Sweet Day

• 1 cup walnut, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 to 4 small to medium sized pears, peeled

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
Add 3/4 cup chopped walnut, flour, baking powder, salt in a food processor. Blend the mixture until smooth. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until blended, followed by vanilla extract.

Add in flour mixture. Beat until well combined.
Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Gently push the pears in the batter to the bottom.

Mix the remaining 1/4 cup walnut with a teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before serving.