When it comes to fall baking and easy homemade desserts, this Pear Cake Recipe is a perfect choice. It’s quick and simple enough for a weekday dessert but special enough for company!
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. Set aside.
Streusel Topping:
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with the ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts. Set aside for now.
Cake Batter:
In a medium mixing bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar with the oil.
To this, add a lightly beaten egg, sour cream, vanilla and almond extract and lemon zest. Whisk to combine properly together.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine with a wooden or rubber spoon. Do not over mix.
Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Spread evenly to the sides of the pan.
Place the sliced pears in a pretty pattern on top of your batter, overlapping them as you go so that the cake batter is completely covered.
Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon almond mixture evenly over the top of the sliced pears.
Bake in a preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until golden and the cake tester comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack where it can cool down for about 15 minutes.
After this short period, carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on the wire rack, where it will continue to cool down.
Serve cake at room temperature.
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Notes
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, as this 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 off and pat dry before slicing.
Since fresh pears quickly oxidize and turn brown when cut. Slice them just before combining the wet and dry ingredients.
How to store leftovers: Place leftovers in an airtight container where they will keep for 3 days at room temperature or in the fridge. Can I freeze this cake? Yes, this pear cake recipe freezes wonderfully for up to 3 months. Once the cake has completely cooled down to room temperature, double wrap with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil, then, please place it in a large freezer-safe plastic air-tight container to avoid crushing it in the freezer. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.