Pear streusel cake: pear juices keep it moist the next day

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Activate the yeast

   10 min

   Crumble the yeast into the lukewarm milk and add a teaspoon of powdered sugar and a tablespoon of flour. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

2. Make the dough

   10 min

   Place the flour, remaining sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture, egg, and melted butter, and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

3. Let rise

   1 hr

   Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

4. Prepare the pears and streusel

   10 min

   Peel and core the pears, then cut them into slices. Toss with the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Rub the flour, sugar, and cold butter together with your fingertips to form coarse crumbs, then refrigerate.

5. Let rise in the pan

   20 min

   Line a baking pan measuring about 25 × 35 cm with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to fit the pan, transfer it to the pan, and arrange the pears on top. Let rise for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

6. Bake

   35 min

   Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the cake and bake for 35 minutes at 180 °C (350 °F), until the edges of the dough and the streusel are golden.

7. Let cool

   30 min

   Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting it into 16 pieces; it would break apart if sliced while warm.

Tip: Let very juicy pears drain in a strainer for 10 minutes before arranging them on the dough so it does not become soggy. You can add a handful of ground nuts to the streusel, or make the cake with plums or apples instead of pears. Read more: Frozen lemons: why to freeze them and use the peel

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Babičkin hruškový koláč s posýpkou: šťava z hrušiek ho udrží vláčny aj na druhý deň