This Super Moist Pear Cake is my favorite go to cake to have with tea or coffee because it’s so moist and delicious. I have had so many compliments on it an I am sure you will love it too. Zane also loves this cake because he is a huge fan of Pears. He always asks me if I can add some more sugar on top whenever he eats a piece.
HOW TO MAKE THE SUPER MOIST PEAR CAKE:
It’s important that you use very ripe pears. They are usually sweeter and produce more moisture and don’t have a crunch when you bake them. I don’t like fruits in cake that still have a little crunch to them. I just want every bite to melt in my mouth. Another thing that I recommend is that you have your butter at room temperature and use real butter. No fake butter substitutions or any kind of modified butter.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE SUPER MOIST PEAR CAKE:
Peel and slice the pears. In an electric mixer bowl, whip up the sugar and butter well blended. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest and eggs. Continue mixing on high speed for a minute until they are well combined. Add in the baking powder, sifted flour and a pinch of salt. Mix again for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add milk and oil while mixing on low speed. Mix for another minute.
Grease or spray a round spring foam pan baking pan and pour the batter in. Ideally, an 10 x 3 inch one is the best size for this recipe to cook well. If you don’t have a round pan, you can use a 9 x 13 inch rectangular pan that’s a little deep. If you use a rectangular pan, just place a larger size of parchment paper this way you can just lift the whole cake out when you need to dust it with confectioner sugar.
BAKING THE SUPER MOIST PEAR CAKE:
After placing the batter in your pan, spread a layer of the sliced pears to cover the whole batter. Sprinkle some cinnamon and brown sugar on top of the pears. Bake in a pre-heated 350 F over for 40 minutes then cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Insert a wooden skewer to make sure it’s completely clean before removing the cake. Depends on where you live, sometimes some ovens are a little different than others. Remove the cake and cover with a kitchen towel to let it cool down. It may take up to 30 minutes to1 hr. to completely cool down. Dust with some confectioner sugar and serve. If you are not serving right away, I recommend not dusting it too much because by the time you eat it, the cake’s moisture will absorb the sugar and you will need to dust a little more later to make it look pretty for serving.
I hope you remember me when you take delicious bites off of this Super Moist Pear Cake. I am certain you will love it. Whether you are that person who loves to have a piece of cake with your cup of tea or coffee, or just that person who has a sweet tooth for cakes anytime during the day or after a filling meal, I am sure this will satisfy your cravings. Please rate this recipe when you get a chance to try it and re-share with family and friends. Don’t forget to tag me on your Instagram stories so I can see your delicious Pear Cake. XoXo…
OTHER RECIPE YOU MAY LIKE:
- Raspberry Puff Pastry Tart
- Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars
- No Bake Chocolate Lazy Cake
- Blueberry Bundt Cake
Super Moist Pear Cake
Equipment
- 10 x 3 Round Spring Foam pan
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups cake or all purpose flour sifted
- 1½ cup sugar fine granulated white sugar
- ½ cup butter soft, unsalted
- ⅓ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tsps. baking powder
- 2 tbsps. vanilla extract
- 4 whole eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 3 whole ripe pears peeled and thinly sliced
- ⅛ tsp. salt Just a pinch
- 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)
- 2 tbsps. confectioner suger for dusting after baking
TOPINGS before baking:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or less as desired
- ¾ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Peel and slice the Pears.
- In an electric mixer bowl, whip up the sugar and butter until well combined for about 1 minute.
- Add in the vanilla, lemon zest and eggs. Continue mixing on high speed for 1-2 minutes until they are well combined.
- Add in the baking powder, sifted flour and a pinch of salt. Mix again for about 1 minute. Gradually add 1/2 cup of milk and 1/3 cup oil while mixing on low speed. Mix for another minute or two on low speed.
- Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease or spray a round spring foam baking pan then pour the batter in½. Ideally, a 10 x 3 inch deep pan is the best size.
- After placing the batter in your pan, spread a layer of the sliced pears to cover the whole batter. Sprinkle some cinnamon and the brown sugar on top of the pears.
- Bake in a pre-heated 350 F oven for 40 minutes then lay over an aluminum foil wrap on top to cover the cake and bake for another 15 minutes depending on your oven. Insert a wooden skewer to make sure it's completely clean before removing the cake. It may take less or a bit more time depending on your oven.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cover with a kitchen towel to let it cool down. It may take up to 1 hour to completely cool down. Dust with some confectioner sugar right before serving.
Video
Notes
- Adjust the sugar to your liking. If you like less sugar, use only 1 cup.
- If you are not serving right away, I recommend not dusting until you are ready to serve. The moisture of the pears will absorb the sugar.
- Only use real butter or substitute with oil.
- Do not use a smaller pan other than what is recommended. 10 x 3 round spring foam pan (easy release pan) and be sure to line it with parchment paper.
- Do not use under ripe pears.
- Depending on your oven and pan, the cake might take less or more time. Insert a tooth pick to check if the cake is done.
- You may add nuts or raisins if you like. If you are adding them into the batter, coat with flour before. If you are putting them on the top, you don't need to coat them.
Hello Mima
In your ingredients you said 1 and 1/2 cup of sticks butter so how many grams is that…
Thanks
Hanaa
Hi Hanaa!
Every 1 stick of butter is 1/2 cup and that is equal to 113g. So you are looking at 170g of butter
Hi, I just made this, is it 1/2 cup butter (one stick) or 1 and half sticks of butter which would be 3/4 cup butter? I ask because there seemed to be way too much sugar to make whipping it with that amount (1/2 cup or one stick) result in a fluffy butter/sugar mixture. It was very heavy, like wet sand and the butter never really fluffed.
Also the cake seemed a touch too sweet, can you confirm the butter and sugar measurements?
Other than that, it was great!
Hi Adam!
Thanks for inquiring. Was your butter soft at room temperature? It’s 1/2 cup so 1 stick. Also it all depends on the sugar you are using. The sugar I use is the white fine granulated sugar and beat it for a few minutes. If you are using like cane sugar which is more granulated it will more grainy. I guy that from costco and don’t like using it in my baking. Its too grainy and harder to melt down. If the sugar if too much for your taste, you can use just one cup. It’s all based on your preference. Another tip you can do if your sugar is more coarse, while the sugar and butter are beating, you can add in the oil a couple of tablespoons at a time to fluffy it up and make the sugar melt a little better. Also use the whisk attachment and make sure the butter is soft. You can also replace the oil with the butter so that would be 3/4 cup butter instead (a stick and half). Butter makes the texture extra soft so you might get a slightly different texture and might have to cook it a bit more. A great tip is around 30-40 minutes into baking any cake, you can lay an aluminum foil wrap on top of the cake and lightly secure it (not too tight) and cook for the remainder of the time while the cake is covered, it will come out perfectly cooked on the inside without getting too brown on the outside.
I made this today. It is absolutely delicious. I added the extra sugar n batter and tossed my pears in the brown sugar while mixing recipe. So good
Thank you so much for leaving a review and comment! I am glad you liked it!
So it didn’t come out so well… I used a 9” round pan & it completely overflowed. Didn’t notice til a minute ago that you used a SPRINGFORM PAN, which is much deeper, even though in the recipe you just wrote pan. It’s been cooking for over an hour now & it’s still raw in the middle. I don’t know what went so wrong. Maybe I’ll try it again another day in a springform pan at a higher temp & see how it goes.
Hey Rebecca!
I am sorry I am not sure what went wrong. The cake’s consistency should not be too loose or else it wont cook. You can add a tiny bit more flour if you end up in that situation. You can also use a deeper but wider pan to make the cooking process easier. Feel free to email me if you have any problems when you mix it. I would be happy to help.
Hi Rebecca!
I have updated the recipe with specific pan measurement and type. Please go through the instructions again on the recipe card to see the update. Please do not use a higher temp. It will burn on the outside and stay raw on the inside. I hope it works out for you this time.
Hmm. The flavor of the cake batter nicely complemented the pears. But I had to bake it an extra 35 minutes. . And half of the pear slices, especially ones in the middle, sank to the bottom. It was not a pretty cake. But it did taste good.
Hi Maria!
I am sorry you had problems making it. The baking dish changes things a lot. Not sure what you used. Also some ovens are different than others(especially overseas) so it’s perfectly okay if you needed more time. I am glad it tasted good for you in the end!
Made this tonight, almost gone already. Soooooooooooo delicious. I did have to bake mine for an extra 30 mins too but worth the wait. Best sponge I’ve ever made. Thank you
Hi Jan!
Thank you so much for leaving a review. I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I will look into the cook time again and specify the best pan to get the right timing.
This was super yummy but I have to bake it an extra 30 minutes and it was no where near as pretty as yours. Mine also overflowed my pan even though it was a 9” circle cake pan. I’d love to problem solve this one as I loved the flavor of the cake! Thanks
Hi Catherine,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I am going to update this recipe tomorrow to a specific pan size and type to prevent this issue and make it easier for everyone.
Can you use tinned pears instead
Hi Shahnaz,
I never really use canned fruits except for pineapple for baking. But you can try it. It might just taste a little different.
I would to know if there is a typing error in the ingredients it saids one aomount of milk and oil then on the instructions there is another amount of milk and oil. Which is correct. And had to cook it longer than the instections. Please let me know thank you. Teresa
Hi Teresa!
Sorry that was a mistake after editing the recipe To fit the right pan. It’s updated same as ingredients.
My granddaughter stayed over the week end with me . She and i went on line to look for a receipe to bake a cake . We came across your receipe for the pear cake , we baked it and it was absouletly delicious!! Next time i am going to add two layers of pears , one in the middle and one on top !!
Thanks
DR N Ali
Hi Nilofar,
So happy you and your granddaughter enjoyed the recipe.
Hi Mima,
I really like this recipe but I’m confused when viewing the comments.
You have replied Hanaa that butter is 170 g? But in your recipe, butter is only 1/2 cup which is 113g as confirmed by your reply. So what is the actual amount of butter in this recipe?
Tks & Cheers!
Hi Dorine,
I am sorry for the confusion. The recipe was slightly updated because people were having different results because of their pans. It will be just the 1/2 stick of butter which is 1/2 cup.
I just tried this warm and it was delish! Looking forward to see how it tastes with my morning coffee. Btw, I used a 10” round that is a smidge under 3” depth and no overflow issue. Whew! The timing and temps suggested worked exactly as outlined in my case. From what I read elsewhere, timing can differ with attitude we live in… so perhaps that’s why some others had to bake longer then we.
Hi Susan!
Thanks for leaving a review. Glad it worked out great for you!
Can I use vegan butter as a substitute for regular butter?
Hi there,
I have never personally tried that. Not sure how it will come out.
I’m waiting for the cake to bake. I looked at the calorie count and you say 366 calories per ONE gram serving! Hah, hah! Must be a typo. Who eats one gram of cake?
Hey!
Sorry about that. I transferred to a new recipe card recently and some of the numbers got messed up. It’s per serving not gram. I will update that soon.
Hi, your prep time is very of , it took me more then 30 min to prep before was ready to go in the oven . Is it just me ??
Thanks !
Ela
Hi Elausa,
Everyone works at a different pace. But it’s okay if it took longer for you as long as you are happy with the end result. It’s worth it 🙂
This looks so good! I have a bunch of pears and wanted to use up a bunch of them in a delcious dessert! I love that it is simple and all about the pears!
Hi Suzanne,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s a great way to use up the pears that are going bad.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi Vanessa!
It’s best to eat it within 2-3 days. Keep in an air tight container or wrap it with saran wrap on a plate and leave at room temperature unless it’s too hot where you live. You can always dust some more confectioner sugar before you serve again because the moisture will absorb them over time.
Perfect – made with apples as I had no pears. It pays to be patient with the beating of the sugar & butter it can take a while… thanks for a great recipe! Julie
Hi Julie!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
I made this cake today and followed all of your directions, with one exception. The one exception, I filled all but one cup of the batter in the pan, based on the comments on this recipe. (I made the same cake in a small remekin). I used the round spring formed pan and placed it on a cookie sheet.
The cake turned out perfect. Delicious.
Hi Tara,
Glad you enjoyed it. Ya the cooking process can be tricky. A lot of things play into the cooking time like the size of the pan, the thickness, the level you place it in in the oven, the oven itself. So I am glad you worked it out and it came out great for you!
Trying to send this to myself via my email. It looks delicious!
Yay! Hope you like it.
Used buttermilk instead of milk as that is what I had in the fridge. Worked really well.
The sounds so delicious. I will try it sometime with buttermilk!
It’s taking an enormous amount of discipline not to eat the entire cake at once. Delicious. -was a pain to convert everything to grams etc, but worth it.
Hi Elaine!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for leaving a review.
Absolutely delicious. I added a layer of pear to the middle of the cake, sprinkled with mixed spice and cinnamon. My son said he hadn’t had a cake that good in a long time. Thanks for the recipe
Hi Deborah!
I am so happy your son loved the cake! Thanks for much for leaving a review.
I split the recipe in half and cooked it in a plain pie plate. I also added salted caramel chips to the batter, and I added salted caramel chips on top before I cooked with the foil. This is absolutely fabulous. The cooking time was almost the same. I did 30 minutes uncovered and 10 minutes covered. First time I have made anything like this, and I would say that it will be made again.
Hi Bobbi,
Caramel chips sound amazing with the pears! Glad you made this the recipe the way you like and enjoyed it!
Love it! Is my first time making anything with pears and the whole family loved it. Thanks for this amazing recipe ❤️
Hi Helga
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe with your family!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Had some pears that were going to go to waste, would never have thought to make cake with them! So good, thank you for sharing!
Hi Jen,
Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
what a wonderful cake recipe~I did not have the proper pan to use; however, that did not make a difference. IT came out wonderful! Pretty to look at and yummy to eat!
Thanks for the recipe
Carol
Hi Carol
Thank you so much for leaving a review. Glad you enjoyed it. My kids love it. I am about to make it for my family since I have some overripe pears!
This is very tasty. I also had to add an extra 30 min to get it baked all the way through and I used a 10” springform pan. My only complaint is with that thickness, the bottom was very dry and the top was nice and moist. I will do some experimenting the next time I make it. Overall, delicious! (I sprinkled a little cinnamon over the pears before baking)
Hi Margot,
Thanks for leaving a review. Glad you enjoy the recipe.
I made this cake using Gluten-Free flour and it worked very well.
My family ate it all in one sitting.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
It’s great !
Hi Sarah!
Thanks so much for leaving a rating. I am happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
Same problem as above — took much longer to cook than recipe says. Used 9″ springform pan.
Hi Leila,
9 inch is a smaller pan, so the batter will be more deep. It will take longer time. I recommend 10 inch pan, which I have tested many times. Cover the cake with foil wrap at around 40 minutes and cook for an extra 15-20 minutes. Also, all ovens are different so cooking time may vary for everyone.
this is a delicious cake— however the pears sank to the very bottom, saturated the paper and stuck to it beyond lifting. i would like to make this cake successfully- can you please help.
Hi Maria,
It’s very odd. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. The cake batter is thick, which doesn’t allow the pears to sink. They should be sliced very thin so they don’t sink from their weight, and the cake batter should be thick. No one has mentioned that problem before. I have tested it many times.
I had a bunch of pears nobody in my family wanted to eat, so I googled “pear cake” and came across this recipe.This turned out sooooo good. Even my son who doesn’t enjoy cakes loved this one. Definitely will be making again! I followed all the instructions as written, the only thing is I had to bake for almost 1.5 hrs. It is perfect!
Hi Marie,
Thanks for leaving a comment review! Sometimes cooking time will differ depending on the pan and the oven. But I am glad it worked out as you liked in the end.
I converted this to gluten free and is absolutely delicious. I served with whipped cream. Awesome, thank you 😋💖
That’s great to hear. So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for leaving a review.
Hi! I want to try this recipe but I don’t have a springform pan. I do have several different sizes of bundt pans. Would this recipe work with a bundt pan? If so, would I need to tweak any of the ingredients to compensate for the bundt pan?
Hi Darlene,
I haven’t tried it but it will take a lot longer to cook. You will also have to cover with aluminum foil after it rises, this way the inside cooks well since it’s a deeper pan. Because the longer it cooks, the sides and top will get more brown and the inside will stay raw. You can use a normal round non-stick pan that’s the same size as recommended in the recipe and line the bottom with parchment paper. Also spray well with baking spray. Once you cook it, use a knife to detach the sides a little if stuck on the side of the pan and allow it to cool completely. Once it cools down well, use a plate to cover the cake, flip it over, and reflip it to another plate so the top is facing back up. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and serve.
Hi, I’m thinking of trying this recipe tonight. I’m just wondering if the use of canola / vegetable oil is for the purpose of having a neutral-flavoured oil? Could I use olive oil (which flavour I suppose might come through abit, and may even complement it) which is healthier?
Hi There,
Sorry I just saw this I wasn’t on last night. It’s because of the neutral flavor. If you prefer healthier you can use light tasting olive oil. The lightest you can find.
I always fiddle with recipes, and I always read the comments. This time, however, I made this recipe almost exactly as written. 40 minutes was perfect + 15 covered with foil. Skewer came out clean, the pears stayed on top, and the cake is golden brown. I used up some overripe pears and they came to life in this recipe. But as I said, “almost exactly as written”: I used 1 3/4 tsp of vanilla and a 1/4 tsp teaspoon of almond extract. Almond extract may be my signature baking flavor. In all likelihood, I will sprinkle the cake with sliced almonds after I dust it with confectioner’s sugar. Though I am tempted to sprinkle the sugar while the cake is warm so the almonds stick in what would become a light glaze. (BTW: I did not have to adjust for my high altitude. I’m in the Sierra foothills at 5200 ft.)
Hi Gaye!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe and adapted it to your liking! Thanks for the review and for adding some extra tips for others.
Thank you so much. I made this for mother’s day and it tasted AMAZING!!!! It was so Fluffy and burst with flavor
Hi Nomsa,
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and it worked out well for you. Thanks for the review.