Preheat oven to 350°F.
Finely chop one of the pears and slice the other.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Using a standard mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the butter and 1 cup of sugar together until well mixed.
Add the egg, and the two extracts and beat the mixture on high until it is light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the bowl occaisionally to ensure the ingredients are well mixed.
With the mixer off, add the flour mixture to the bowl. Turn mixer on lowest setting and mix until the flour is just mixed in. Over mixing the mixture will cause the cake to be tough and dry.
With a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped pears into the batter.
Pour the batter into a 10" cast iron skillet or a 9" greased oven proof pie or cake pan. Arrange the sliced pears on the top of the batter and then sprinkle on the sliced almonds and the remaining sugar.
Place the pan into the center of the oven and bake until the top of the cake is golden brown in color and the center springs back lightly when touched, 35-40 mins.
Serve warm from the pan with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Though the cake is best the day it is baked, it may be kept up to two days at room temperature if well covered.
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