Pear & Calvados Weeknight Cake

There’s something quietly triumphant about a homemade dessert on a weeknight. No one expects it; everyone assumes dinner is the finish line. This pear and Calvados cake is the exception I like to make when I have just a sliver of extra bandwidth and want the evening to end softly.

It’s a simple butter cake you can put together in one bowl: everything goes into the mixer with the paddle attachment, pears are fanned over the top, and the whole thing bakes while you eat. By the time plates are cleared, the kitchen smells like baked fruit and sugar, and you can slice warm wedges straight from the pan.