This Hazelnut Tea Cake with Moscato Pears is an elegant fall dessert made with freshly roasted hazelnuts, fresh pears browned in butter, and moscato wine.
In a bowl, combine the pears with the Moscato d'Asti and let stand at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours. If pears aren't completely covered by wine, spoon wine over pears occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and lightly flour an 8 inch round cake pan.
Put the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 12-20 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant. Transfer the hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool completely. Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove the skins. In a food processor, pulse the nuts until they're finely ground.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat 6 tablespoons of the butter with 1/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Add the vanilla, then fold in the hazelnuts and flour. Transfer to a separate bowl and wash stand mixer bowl.
Using stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until almost firm shiny peaks form. Fold one third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, taking care to not flatten the egg whites as much as possible. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool slightly in the pan. As soon as the pan is cool enough to handle, run a thin knife around the cake, unmold it, and transfer the cake to the cooling rack. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel.
Drain the Moscato d'Asti into a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Let the syrup cool.
In a large skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add the pears and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Arrange the pear wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. Scrape any remaining butter from the pan into your reduced wine syrup and stir well to combine.
In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attached, beat the cream until it starts to thicken. Add the reduced Moscato d'Asti and beat until soft peaks form.
Serve the hazelnut cake with the moscato whipped cream.