Walnut-Pear Sour Cream Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup broken walnuts
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 8-ounce carton sour cream
• ½ cup broken walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan or 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. Combine the 1 cup nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
3. For the topping, cut the ¼ cup butter into the 1/3 cup flour to make coarse crumbs. Stir in ¾ cup of the nut mixture. Set the nut mixture and topping aside.
4. Toss pears with lemon juice; set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the 1 ¾ cups flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, beat ½ cup butter with an electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
7. Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately to the batter. Beat on low speed after each addition until combined.
8. Spread two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved nut mixture. Layer pears over the top. Gently spread remaining batter over the pears.
9. Sprinkle with the reserved topping. Bake 10 minutes.
10. For a chunkier top, sprinkle with ½ cup more nuts. Bake 45 to 50 minutes more, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove the side of the springform pan. Cool at least 1 hour. Serve warm with whipped cream. Serves 12.