Ingredients for a 26 cm diameter cake tin (or for a 30 cm diameter ring-shaped cake tin): 5 eggs450 g of almond flour50 g of flour (plus 2-3 tablespoons to flour the cake tin)150 g of sugar (plus 3 tablespoons to caramelise the pears)3 pears1 sachet baking powder100 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 tablespoon of chopped almonds1 knob of butter to grease the cake tin
Wash and peel the pears, cut off the top and bottom, remove the core and slice them thinly. Put them in a heavy-bottomed frying pan with the sugar and half a ladle of water; cook them over a lively heat for roughly 15 minutes, turning them over frequently. When the water has evaporated and the slices of pear have browned (they are caramelised) remove them from the heat.
Mix the sugar in a bowl with the two types of flour sieved with the baking powder and the chopped almonds. Add the eggs and the oil, and beat with an electric whisk until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
Pour it into the cake tin – well-buttered and floured - and level it carefully. Place the slices of caramelised pear on the surface, one beside the other; when you’ve finished, distribute on top the liquid they were cooked in, which was left in the bottom of the frying pan. Bake the cake in a preheated convection oven, at 160 °C, for 35-40 minutes. Before removing it from the tin, let it cool down well. Dust the cake with icing sugar and, if you like, serve it with whipped cream.