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Our rustic, no-mixer Fresh Pear Cake with candied ginger is like an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s familiar and comforting and welcome anytime at your table!
After just one bite you’ll be surprised how distinct the flavors are in this pear cake. We love its soft, tender texture, the chunks of fresh, sweet pear and the occasional hint of candied ginger. Try this ‘great anytime’ fall favorite when you want a delicious dessert that’s easy to throw together. This lovely cake keeps for days at room temperature. Maybe that old friend will stop by for a slice and a cup of tea 🙂
Do you have to make this pear cake in a springform pan?
You don’t have to bake this fresh pear cake in a springform pan, but it makes for an easy, pretty presentation. If you bake it in a 9-inch square pan, cast iron skillet or other deep baking pan, just cut and serve right from the pan. Once cooled you can invert the cake onto a platter if desired.
You will need three pears for this recipe; two diced and folded into the batter and another sliced on top.
Another option is to skip the decorative slices on top and fold all three pears into the cake batter instead. If you skip the sliced pear on top, try sprinkling the entire cake with coarse sugar and sliced almonds. What a treat!
There’s so much to love about this cake!
From the easy, no mixer required recipe, to the tender crumb loaded with soft chunks of pear and ginger, this cake is a keeper. Not overly sweet, our tender pear cake is great served at breakfast, brunch or dessert. It travels well, making it great for pot lucks or as a gift for a sick friend. It’s perfectly delicious served with just a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.
Change it up! Make this pear cake your own with just a few minor adjustments.
Turn this recipe into an Italian Pear Cake by omitting the candied ginger and using mascarpone in place of the sour cream. Or, omit the candied ginger and add 1 teaspoon cardamom with the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the entire top with walnuts or almonds for a nice crunchy bite.
This cake is also pretty fantastic served with a dollop of ginger whipped cream. Beat 1 cup of whipping cream until soft peaks form, then add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Beat the cream until stiff peaks form then dollop on individual slices of cake and enjoy!
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Fresh Pear Cake
Equipment
- Springform pan
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (divided)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 ounces sour cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 large, peeled, firm ripe pears, divided (Bosc or Barlett)
- 3 tablespoons chopped crystalized ginger, divided
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for topping
- Powdered sugar for dusting, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Turn the base of a 9-inch springform pan upside down so you can easily slide the cake off. Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper, then lightly spray the pan with vegetable cooking spray.
- Peel, core and chop 2 pears. Toss with ¼ cup of flour and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and granulated sugar. Make a well in the center and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl lightly whisk the eggs. Add the sour cream, melted cooled butter, vanilla and almond extracts. Fold together with a rubber spatula until blended. Set aside.
- Pour the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture and fold together with a spatula until most of the flour is incorporated. The batter will be thick and seem a little dry. Immediately add the pears, and any pear juice, and half the chopped ginger. Fold together until incorporated. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining chopped ginger over the top of the cake.
- Set aside to rest for 10 minutes before baking. While the cake is resting, slice the remaining peeled and cored pear into 8 to 12 slices. Top the unbaked cake with the pear slices and lightly press into the batter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of coarse or granulated sugar.
- Bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out with no wet batter, about 65-75 minutes. Tent with foil during baking if needed to prevent over-browning.
- Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. Slide onto a serving plate, cut into wedges and enjoy slightly warm or cooled. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for a day or two, or refrigerate for longer storage.
Recipe Notes
- To make an Italian Pear Cake omit the candied ginger and substitute mascarpone for the sour cream 🙂
- You can also omit the candied ginger add 1 teaspoon cardamom with the dry ingredients instead. Sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts or sliced almonds if desired.
- This cake is also great served with ginger whipped cream. Beat 1 cup of whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Dollop on individual slices of cake and enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Juicy fresh pears and ground walnuts are the stars of these moist and delicious, cardamom scented Pear Walnut Muffins. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Wine Poached Chicken, Pear and Walnut Salad simply dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia
SuzieQ
I love baking with pears and this looks great. Question – can I add nuts? I’m thinking hazelnuts might go well in this.
Tricia Buice
Oh yes! Adding nuts would be great. You could add finely chopped hazelnuts to the batter and maybe add some coarse chopped nuts to the top. Enjoy!
Kerry
Wow, this sounds and looks so good! If I baked this recipe in a Bundt pan, what alterations to temperature and time would you suggest? Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Hi Kerry. Depending on the size of your bundt pan, I might make one and one-half times this recipe then bake at 325 degrees for 60 to 75 minutes. I haven’t tested this so I’m not sure. If using the recipe as written, I would reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and check the cake at 40 minutes. Good luck and thanks for the great question!
Susan Hennings
Love this pear cake. I been making it with 2 cans of pears. It works.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Susan! I’m glad you’re enjoying this easy cake. We love the flavor of baked pears. Thanks for the feedback on canned pears as I’m sure it will help all our readers.
June
We love this cake. Very easy to make. My husband doesn’t like ginger so I used Cardamom. He just asked for it again.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback June. I’m so glad you both enjoyed this cake and I love the addition of cardamom. Brilliant!
Lori
This was AMAZING! It was so easy to put together and made my kitchen smell freaking fantastic! I used Bartlett pears and a 10 inch springform pan and it came out at exactly the minimum time. I did NOT put powdered sugar over it because I forgot, but still everyone at the meeting raved about the flavor. This one’s a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing it!
Carla Mueller
It’s perfect! Everyone that tries it loves it. Today I’m making it with fresh peaches.
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Carla! We appreciate you taking the time to comment. We LOVE feedback!! Enjoy 🙂
cjm
Thank you. I didn’t know what to do with a gift of pears and my search landed on this, so happy it did! This is absolutely delicious, husband loved it! I will make this again. I did use a 10 inch spring form because that’s what I have and it came out perfect. Can’t wait to try with peaches.
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much for the feedback Carla. I bet this would be great with peaches. Bravo!
Catherine
I strongly recommend baking this in a 10-inch spring form pan. I baked it twice before, first in an 8-inch pan by accident (it was quite tall!), then in a 9-inch pan as recommended. Both of those times it was seriously underbaked, with a gummy texture, despite my nearly doubling the baking time. Note: it’s also very hard to do a toothpick test when pears are distributed throughout. But in the 10″ pan, it was perfectly done at 50 minutes, which was abundantly clear from the firm, rounded top. BTW, I double- checked the temperature and my dacor oven is accurate.
Tricia Buice
Hi Catherine. I’ve been making similar cakes in a 9-inch pan for years and never had this problem. In fact, I have more than a dozen recipes like this one that are baked in the 9-inch pan. Glad you like the 10-inch version! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Carol
Ok…..the family verdict is……this cake is amazing! The neighbor I shared some with loved it also…..Trust me , the chopped crystallized ginger is so perfect. A must try recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Carol!
Carol
My cake is in the oven right now. The smell is wonderful and it looks as beautiful as the picture. I know that it will be delicious. Thank you for this lovely recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Carol!
Carol
The family verdict for this cake is that it is perfect….a real winner. Husband loved it. The crystallized ginger is wonderful, he never had it before. If you want a real show stopper recipe …make this. We loved it slightly warm and the next day….today….zapped a slice for about 15 seconds.
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much for the feedback Carol! Candied ginger is amazing in baked goods, so glad you gave it a try. We appreciate you trying the recipe and for taking the time to comment! Bravo 🙂
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
That is a good looking pear cake Tricia , it reminds me of a German coffee cake. Pinned!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gerlinde – it’s a classic!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I love baking with pears, especially this time of year when they are so fresh and beautiful! Putting this one on my baking list 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jennifer – we do too!
PattiAnn
What variety of pear did you choose to make the cake?
Thank you for your response.
Tricia Buice
Hi PattiAnn. I used Bosc but Bartlett will work well too. Thanks for the great question!
Chris Scheuer
Such a lovely cake, Tricia! I think it would be perfect with a cup of tea, sitting on the front porch and watching the autumn leaves fall!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Chris! I agree 😉 We love this time of year!
June
Came out great, but I think it could have come out of the oven a little earlier. The pears on top weren’t cooked through.
Tricia Buice
Hi June. Glad you enjoyed it. The pears should be sliced very thin and not overlapped so they can good through. Enjoy!