Pear Almond Cake to celebrate my 40th birthday

Directions

1. 1
   The day before, prepare the baby pears in syrup.
2. 2
   Collect the water, sugar, and lemon zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. 3
   In the meantime, peel the pears and set them aside.
4. 4
   When the sugar is completely melted into the water, and the syrup is lightly boiling, add the baby pears, squeeze the lemon into the syrup, and reduce to a simmer.
5. 5
   Simmer the pears on medium-low flame, covered, for about 30 minutes. When you can easily pierce them with a knife, they are done.
6. 6
   Let them cool down into the syrup.
7. 7
   Now prepare the cake.
8. 8
   Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
9. 9
   Whip eggs and sugar until light and foamy.
10. 10
    Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil and the milk, then fold in the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
11. 11
    Remove the pears from the syrup. Set 4 pears aside, and cut open the remaining two.
12. 12
    Remove the core, cube them, and gently fold them into the cake batter.
13. 13
    Grease a 26 cm round cake mould with a knob of butter and dust it with flour. Scrape the batter into the cake mould and smooth the surface with a spatula.
14. 14
    Slice in half the pears you put aside and remove the core with a teaspoon.
15. 15
    Put the pear cut side down on a cutting board, slice it lengthways, and then fan it out.
16. 16
    Arrange the sliced pears on top of the cake, then scatter the surface with the almond flakes.
17. 17
    Bake the cake in a hot oven for about 45-50 minutes, checking if the cake is done with a toothpick: when you insert it in the centre of the cake, it should come out clean.
18. 18
    Once ready, remove the cake from the oven, allow it a few minutes to cool down on a wire rack, remove it from the cake mould, and place it onto a plate.
19. 19
    It keeps well for a few days at room temperature.