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Pear Almond Chai Cake
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Pear Almond Chai Cake

Sweet, subtle, spiced and naturally both gluten free and dairy free, this recipe is sure to be a hit for brunch, afternoon tea or dessert!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 Eggs, separated
  • ½ cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp Chai tea concentrate (store bought or homemade)
  • 1 Vanilla bean, scraped
  • 1 ½ cup Blanched almond flour
  • ½ tsp Cardamom, ground
  • ½ tsp Nutmeg, ground
  • ½ tsp Ginger, ground
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Cornstarch
  • ½ cup Pear, chopped

Toppings

  • ⅓ cup Almonds, sliced
  • 1 tbsp Turbinado sugar
  • 1 Pear, sliced thinly

Instructions

  • Begin by creating your chai tea concentrate (unless using premade). To do so, heat up ¼ cup water and place one Chai teabag in the hot water. Let steep for 10 to 15 minutes until dark in color and strong in flavor. Remove the tea bag and set aside.
  • Next, place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a springform cake pan and close the ring around the paper. Set aside while preheating the oven to 350℉ or 185℃.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar for 2 or 3 minutes until the mixture is a pale butter color, thick and has tripled in volume.
  • Once your egg yolks and sugar are fully combined, add in the chai tea concentrate and scraped vanilla bean (to scrape, simply cut the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the interior). Mix well before adding the almond flour, spices, baking power, cornstarch and salt. The batter should be very thick at this point.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks emerge. Be sure that both the bowl and beaters are clean and dry to ensure the whites stiffen properly.
  • Working with a third at a time, stir the egg whites into the almond flour mixture. Once thoroughly combined, add in the chopped pears.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, spread to the edges and sprinkle with the almonds and coarse sugar. Arrange the pear slices in a fan around the top of the cake.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is browned, set and a knife, toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before serving. Run an knife around the edge of the pan before releasing the springform cake ring. Cut into slices and serve!

Notes

This cake is best enjoyed the day it is made or the day following. To store, simply loosely cover the top with foil to prevent trapping in too much moisture and making the cake soggy. Enjoy!