Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch round cake pan
• •Food processor or spice grinder
• •Light-colored saucepan for browning butter
• •Parchment paper

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the hazelnuts

   Preheat your oven to 350F. Spread hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and the skins begin to crack, about ten to twelve minutes. The kitchen will smell of autumn. Wrap the warm nuts in a clean dish towel and rub vigorously to remove most of the papery skins. Let cool completely, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground but not pasty. You want texture, not butter.

   Do not worry about removing every last bit of skin. A few flecks add character and remind you these were whole nuts, not something from a bag.
2. 2

   Brown the butter

   Cut butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. The color of the pan matters because you need to see the milk solids change. Swirl occasionally as the butter melts, foams, and then quiets. Watch the bottom. First golden flecks will appear, then the butter will turn the color of hazelnuts and smell deeply nutty, almost like caramel. This takes about five to seven minutes. The moment you see amber and smell that toasted aroma, pour into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. It will go from perfect to burnt in seconds.

   Brown butter is called beurre noisette in French because it smells like hazelnuts. Here you are pairing that flavor with actual hazelnuts, which is why this cake works.
3. 3

   Prepare the pan and dry ingredients

   Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Butter the parchment as well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. 4

   Mix the batter

   In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar into the warm brown butter until combined. The mixture will look grainy and slightly separated. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Add vanilla. The batter should turn smooth and glossy. Add half the flour mixture, stir gently with a spatula, then add the milk, then the remaining flour. Fold until just combined. The batter will be thick and fragrant, speckled with bits of hazelnut.

5. 5

   Prepare the pears

   Quarter and core the pears. Slice each quarter lengthwise into thin wedges, about a quarter inch thick. The pears should be ripe enough to perfume your hands but firm enough to hold their shape. If they yield too easily at the neck, they will collapse in the oven.

6. 6

   Assemble and bake

   Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange pear slices in a circular pattern, pressing them gently into the batter. Some will sink slightly; this is fine. Sprinkle raw sugar over the top. Bake until the cake is deep golden, the edges pull away from the pan, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 50 to 55 minutes. The pears will have caramelized at their edges and the sugar will have formed a delicate crust.

7. 7

   Cool and serve

   Let the cake rest in the pan for fifteen minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then invert onto a rack and flip right-side up onto a serving plate. The cake is beautiful at any temperature: warm from the oven with the pears still glistening, or at room temperature where the flavors have settled and deepened. A light dusting of powdered sugar is lovely but entirely optional. The cake needs nothing more.

   This cake improves overnight. The brown butter flavor becomes more pronounced as it rests, and the crumb grows more tender.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out hazelnuts from Oregon or the Piedmont region of Italy, where they grow with an intensity you will not find elsewhere. Ask at your farmers market or a good natural foods store.
• •The brown butter can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature or warm gently before using. It solidifies like regular butter but keeps that toasted flavor.
• •Choose pears that yield only slightly at the neck when pressed. Too ripe and they turn to mush in the oven; too firm and they stay hard and flavorless.
• •This cake is beautiful for a holiday table because it looks abundant without appearing fussy. Your guests will know someone cared without feeling like they are eating a production.

Advance Preparation

• •Brown butter can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated. Warm gently to liquefy before using.
• •Hazelnuts can be toasted and ground up to three days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
• •The fully baked cake keeps at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to three days. The flavor actually improves overnight as the brown butter deepens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 133g)