The Perfect Passover Cake, by Leah Koenig

The prohibition on eating leavened bread during Passover doesn't mean your desserts need to be dull, dry, and tasteless. Try this easy recipe for a Passover cake with chocolate, pears, and almonds, created by Leah Koenig, author of The Jewish Cookbook. The Perfect Passover Cake Serves 8 3/4 cup roughly chopped roasted, unsalted almonds 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups almond flour 2 tablespoons potato starch ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 medium Bosc pears, peeled, quartered and cut into ½-inch pieces 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 9-inch round springform cake pan with parchment paper; set aside. 2. In a bowl, stir together the chopped almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon and chocolate chips; set aside. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 4. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. With an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat eggs until well combined and bubbly, about 1 minute. Add sugar, beating until mixture is pale yellow and billowy, 2 to 3 minutes. With the still beaters on, slowly pour in the oil, followed by vanilla, beating until combined. Use a spatula to gently fold the almond flour mixture into wet batter until just combined. 5. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. (It might seem like too little batter at this point, but it swells in the oven.) Top evenly with half of pears, followed by half of the almond-chocolate mixture. Add remaining batter, using a spatula to smooth. Sprinkle with remaining pears and almond-chocolate mixture. 6. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. If the top of the cake is browning too quickly, drape it loosely with aluminum foil. Remove cake from oven and set pan on a wire rack. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. Find more delicious Passover recipes at: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/food