Pear Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup crushed amaretti or other cookie crumbs
• 2 ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. 2
   Spray an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan with butter/flour spray. Use half the cookies to coat the pan. Set the pan aside.
3. 3
   Combine the pears, honey or maple syrup in a bowl and set aside.
4. 4
   In a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the olive oil and on low speed, the milk. Set aside.
5. 5
   Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture. Mix well.Stir in the remaining cookie crumbs.
6. 6
   Make an overlapping layer of pear slices in the base of the spring form pan. Spread the batter over the pears. Make an overlapping layer of pears on the top of the batter.
7. 7
   Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is nicely browned and a cake skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
8. 8
   Allow the cake to cool, then dust with confectioners' sugar and cut into wedges to serve.