Pear crumble cake

The Pear Crumble Cake is a delightful dessert that combines the sweetness of pears with the crispness of the crumble. Below you will find the recipe with an Italian twist.

Ingredients

• 3-4 ripe pears, peeled and cut into pieces
• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 150 g of brown sugar
• 100 g of cold butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 lemon (grated zest)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (optional)
• Powdered sugar for decoration (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, grated lemon zest, and pinch of salt.
3. Add the cold, cubed butter and work the mixture with your hands or with a mixer until you get a sandy dough.
4. Mix in the brown sugar and the egg, continuing to mix until a uniform consistency is achieved.
5. Take a portion of the dough (about two-thirds) and spread it out on the bottom of a previously buttered or parchment paper-lined baking pan, forming a uniform base.
6. Place the cut pieces of pear on top of the dough base.
7. Crumble the remaining dough with your hands and sprinkle it over the pears, creating the “crumble” effect.
8. Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and crispy.
9. Allow the cake to cool before dusting it with powdered sugar, if desired.

Trivia

Crumble has British origins and is traditionally served as a dessert, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream or the classic English custard. In Italy, this type of cake is also served at breakfast or as a snack, perhaps accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee.

Remember that you can always customize the Pear Crumble Cake with different types of spices (such as nutmeg or cardamom) or by adding nuts to the crumble for an extra crunchy note.