Pear Cake Recipe: Perfect Fall Dessert

This Pear Cake Recipe is perfect for fall baking and easy homemade desserts. It’s quick and simple enough for a weekday dessert but special enough for company! It has a moist, tender crumb and is flavorful with just the right sweetness and warm spices. It’s also great for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.

I love baking with fresh, seasonal fruit, especially in autumn.

Whether it’s apple muffins or apple cake -baking with fresh seasonal produce and pumpkin spice is a great way to celebrate fall.

With the sweetness of fresh, ripe pears and the warm embrace of cinnamon and fall spices, this pear cake is the perfect choice for your next autumn treat!

It’s quick, simple, and delicious! You can make this easy dessert recipe without a stand mixer in no time, and it will still taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. This cake is a perfect way to end any meal making it an ideal fall dessert choice.

It also has an easy-to-make streusel topping that adds texture, flavor, and a hint of sweetness. 

As you remove the cake from the oven, you will notice the golden-brown exterior and a wonderful aroma. 

Whether enjoyed at breakfast, as a satisfying snack or as a light and sweet dessert, its versatility is bound to make it a family favorite in any season. The tender crumb, with its delicate texture and rich flavor, is a true delight for your palate.

When making this easy fall dessert, you’ll quickly notice three things. First, it’s a straightforward recipe with common ingredients. Second, combining fresh pears, sour cream, and fall spices makes a moist and tasty cake. Finally, you’ll be delighted by how versatile this dessert is, making it an ideal dessert for various occasions.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Let’s prep our recipe
• How to make this fresh pear cake
• Tips
• FAQ
• Serving suggestion
• More pear recipes
• Recipe origin
• Fall Baking Recipes
• Recipe

Ingredients

Cake Batter Ingredients

• Flour: All-purpose flour provides structure and stability to the cake.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These leavening agents help the cake rise. Always check the expiration dates. 
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger: I love the addition of these warm spices to the cake’s flavor.
• Salt: A pinch of salt balances the sweetness of the cake.
• Vegetable or Sunflower Oil: Oil adds moisture and a tender crumb to the cake. ​
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar contributes sweetness and a subtle molasses-like flavor to the cake batter, creating a rich, caramelized note.
• Egg: The egg binds the ingredients together and adds structure,
• Sour Cream: Sour cream provides moisture and a pleasant tanginess, resulting in a moist and tender cake.
• Vanilla and Almond Extract: These extracts enhance the flavor of the cake. Vanilla adds a classic sweetness, while almond extract provides a subtle nutty aroma.
• Lemon Zest: Lemon zest brightens up the cake’s flavor.
• Pears: The star ingredient! Fresh pears add a natural sweetness to the cake. Any variety works as long as they are ripe.

Streusel Topping

• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness and a crunchy texture to the streusel topping.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds a touch of warmth.
• Almonds: Sliced almonds also provide a crunchy texture to the topping.

Let’s prep our recipe

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175°C). Set the oven rack to the middle position.

Grease and flour (or use non-stick spray) a 9-inch springform pan. You can also line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Prepare the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ¼ cup of sliced almonds. Set aside for now. 

How to make this fresh pear cake

Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together 2½ cups of all-purpose flour (350 grams), 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Combine the “wet” ingredients: Whisk together 1 scant cup of brown sugar with the ⅔ cup of vegetable oil in a large bowl.

Add one lightly beaten egg, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, and 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest, preferably organic. Whisk to combine properly together. Set aside. 

Slice the pears: For this cake, peel and cut 2 fresh pears in half. Remove the core and place the pear half flat on your cutting board. With a knife, cut the pears lengthwise into  ⅛-inch slices. You can also use a mandoline slicer. Set aside for now.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Do not overmix.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Spread evenly with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to the sides of the pan.

Place the sliced pears in a pretty pattern on top of your batter, overlapping them so the cake batter is completely covered. 

Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon almond mixture evenly over the thin slices of pear.

Bake in a preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until golden and the cake tester comes out clean.

Place it on a wire rack to cool down for about 15 minutes.

After this short period, carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on the wire rack, which will continue to cool down.

Tips

• Sifting the dry ingredients together to distribute them throughout your mixture better will give you a final product with a lighter texture. Not only does this process aerate the flour, but it also makes for easy mixing!
• Do not overmix the batter, which will result in a tough cake.  
• The sour cream creates an extra moist cake crumb. 
• Using room-temperature ingredients will make the batter much smoother and result in a cake with a uniform texture. Try to take out your ingredients one hour before beginning so that everything can come together seamlessly!
• Use fresh or canned pears for this recipe – either will work well. If using canned pears, drain the juice and pat dry before slicing.
• Fresh pears quickly oxidize and turn brown when cut. Slice them just before combining the wet and dry ingredients.

FAQ

Serving suggestion

Serve warm or at room temperature. If desired, garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar for an added touch of sweetness and a visually appealing finish.

More pear recipes

If you have an abundance of overripe pears, why not make this recipe for pear butter? With just a few ingredients, you can transform those pears into a delicious spread perfect for toast or muffins.

If you enjoy soups, try this butternut squash soup. The addition of pears provides just a hint of sweetness. And don’t miss out on our crowd-pleasing pear arugula salad —it’s sure to be a hit with your family.

Recipe origin

It all started with this rhubarb cake recipe with a tender texture.

A generous reader shared her amazing rhubarb recipe, leading to flavor experimentation with local summer produce.

In addition, so many of you have been asking me about more dessert recipes featuring seasonal fruits like blueberries, peaches, and pears among other fruits. 

As a result, I’ve created variations for a blueberry cake, peach cake, and finally, this pear cake recipe using fresh pears. 

I continue playing around with the basic recipe -more specifically, by using different spices, different combinations of sour cream, buttermilk and plain yogurt, and finally, different fruit combinations whenever the inspiration strikes. 

Happy fall baking!

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★★★★★ If you have made this fresh pear cake recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Fall Baking Recipes

Recipe

I originally published this post on September 15, 2021, and republished it on November 1, 2023 with updated content and a video. Thanks for sharing!