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Loaded with pears, perfectly sweet and melts in the mouth – this Super Moist Pear Cake recipe is divine! 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.

zoom in shot showing a piece of pear cake from the top.
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This cake is the perfect go to cake recipe. It’s so moist and delicious, you will want to make it over and over again. Made with simple cake ingredients and overripe pears, this cake will be a staple in your family’s household.

If you are looking for simple and delicious cake recipes, try my Pear Bundt Cake, Super Moist Blueberry Bundt Cake, No Bake Chocolate Cake, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake , and this Blueberry Lemon Bread recipe.

close up shot showing a piece of the pear cake.

Why you’ll love this Moist Cake recipe

  • Convenient: This recipe is not only easy to make, but it’s made with simple ingredients found in your pantry.
  • Tastes perfect: This recipe was tested many times. The sweetness is perfect, the flavor is perfect, the texture is so moist, it melts in your mouth with very bite.
  • Very adaptable: You can make this recipe with any kind of fruit you want. Test with your some of your favorite fruits and choose your favorite.

Ingredients needed to make a Pear Cake

ingredients of the pear cakes in ramekins laid out on a marble slab.
  • AP Flour- I find that this works best for the recipe.
  • Sugar– I like using granulated cane sugar
  • Confectioner Sugar– Perfect for dusting because it melts in your mouth.
  • Butter– Makes the cake soft.
  • Vegetable Oil– Also adds moisture to the cake.
  • Baking Powder– Helps the cake rise.
  • Vanilla Extract– To add a delicious hint of flavor.
  • Eggs– large eggs, any kind works.
  • Milk– I like using whole milk to keep the cake rich.
  • Pears– Use your overripe pears. Any kind works, as long as it’s ripe and peeled. I like using green pears.
  • Salt– to balance the flavor.
  • Lemon Zest– Always a great addition to any baking recipe.
  • Toppings: Brown sugar and cinnamon powder.

How to make a Pear Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Peel and slice the Pears. Set aside.
steps showing how to slice the pears.
  • In an electric mixer bowl, whip up the sugar and softened 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.
Before and after the butter, eggs and sugar got mixed in a glass bowl.
  • Add in the baking powder, sifted flour and a pinch of salt. Mix again for about 1 minute.  Gradually add the milk and oil while mixing on low speed. Mix for another minute or two on low speed. Batter should be thick.
pear cake mix in the mixer bowl before adding dry ingredients ,milk and oil .
  • Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease or spray a round spring foam baking pan then pour the batter into the pan. 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.
steps showing pear cake in a pan, before and after adding pears, then after baking.
  • Bake in a pre-heated 350 F oven for 1 hour. Depending on your oven and thickness of your pan, it might take extra baking time. If your cake is brown before it gets cooked on the inside, cover with aluminum foil and continue to cook for the rest of the time. Try not to over bake the cake so doesn’t dry out. Always insert a wooden skewer to make sure it’s completely clean before removing the cake out.
pear cake before and after dusting with powdered sugar.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and cover with a kitchen towel to let it cool down. It may take up to 1 hour. Dust with some confectioner sugar right before serving.

Recipe Tips:

  • Always use room temperature softened butter.
  • If you are not serving right away, I recommend not dusting the cake right away. The moisture of the pears will absorb the sugar. Dust the cake right before serving.
  • Only use real butter. No fake butters.
  • Do not use a smaller pan other than what is recommended, which is 10 x 3″ round spring foam pan (easy release pan).
  • Do not use under ripe pears. Always use soft pears, but not mushy pears
  • Depending on your oven and thickness of the pan, the cake might take less or more time. Insert a tooth pick or skewer into the center of the cake to check if it comes out clean.
  • You may add nuts or raisins right before the pears before baking, if you like. Just dust them with a little bit of AP flour before doing that.
  • If you like pears in your cake batter, add 1/2 cup of ripe pureed/mashed pear in the cake batter before baking. It may just take a few more minutes to fully cook over the normal cook time.
close up shot showing the inside of the pear cake where a piece was cut out from.

FAQ’s for making a moist pear cake

How do you make moist pear cake?

Always use overripe pears to make this cake moist. The juices from the pear gives so much moisture to the cake. Also, always use real, whole fat butter. This also helps with the cake’s texture. Never use butter substitutes.

How do you peel and slice pears?

Prepare the pears by peeling, then slicing in half from the stem end to the bottom. You can then use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds and also remove that tough, thin spine that runs up to the stem end.

What to serve with Pear Cake?

This pear cake is great on its own. It can be served warm, room temperature, or cold from the fridge. It’s also great with a scoop of ice cream, coffee, tea or a dollop of whipped cream!

Do I have to peel pears before baking?

I highly recommend peeling the pears before baking, as their skin grows tough when heated.

What to do with lots of ripe pears?

Well of course, make this pear cake! If you have way too many, you can always bake a cake for your neighbor or a friend.

Can I freeze Pear Cake?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze this pear cake. However the texture of the pear slices will change a little after freezing. I would also wrap it very well to preserve any freezer burns, which will dry up the cake. You can freeze for up to one month. But this cake will not last more than a couple of days, so I highly doubt you will need to freeze it. It will be gone in no time.

A piece of cake being taken out of the whole pear cake.

Mouthwatering sweet treats to try

I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Super Moist Pear Cake recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!

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4.85 from 365 votes

Super Moist Pear Cake

Loaded with pears, perfectly sweet and melt in the mouth – this Super Moist Pear Cake recipe is divine! Easy to make and it looks gorgeous, perfect for dessert or afternoon treat!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Equipment

  • 10 x 3 inch Round Spring Foam pan (Easy Release) changing pan will change cook time.
  • Oven I use a normal electric oven with fan. Using different types of oven will change cook time.

Ingredients 

  • cups cake or all purpose flour, sifted
  • cup sugar, fine granulated white sugar
  • ½ cup butter , soft, unsalted
  • cup canola oil, or vegetable oil
  • 3 tsps. baking powder
  • 1-2 tbsps. vanilla extract, per preference
  • 4 whole eggs, large
  • ½ cup milk, whole fat
  • 3 whole ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 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 pale and and fluffy.
  • Add in the baking powder, sifted flour and a pinch of salt. Mix again for about 1 minute.  Gradually add ½ cup of milk and ⅓ cup oil while mixing on low speed. Mix for another minute on low speed. The batter should be thick. Not runny.
  • Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease or spray a round spring foam baking pan then pour the batter in. Ideally, a 10 x 3 inch deep pan is the best size. Changing pan will alter cooking time.
  • 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 on the middle rack for 1 hour. NOTE: If your cake becomes golden on the outside at around 45 minutes and the cake is still pretty runny on the inside, cover the cake with aluminum foil wrap and tuck the sides a little and continue to cook the cake for another 15 minutes. 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

    • I use electric oven on normal BAKE mode. Not conventional or any other specific type of oven. Different types of ovens will result in different cook times and result. That is not within my control. Insert a tooth pick or skewer into the center of the cake to check if it comes out clean.
    • If your cake is brown on the outside and runny still on the inside, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
    • Always use room temperature softened butter.
    • If you are not serving right away, I recommend not dusting the cake right away. The moisture of the pears will absorb the sugar. Dust the cake right before serving.
    •  The recommended pan size is 10 x 3″ round spring foam pan (easy release pan). Anything else used, will alter the cooking time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

This recipe was originally posted in March 2019 and updated with new photos.

4.85 from 365 votes (300 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




255 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Caveat: I made this cake for my 9yo’s birthday cake. Since he is allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts, I had to make some substitutions (gluten-free flour blend for the flour, dairy-free margarine for the butter, rice milk for the milk, and Just Egg for the eggs). I also made it in a Bundt pan for the pretty factor, so the bake time was a bit different.

    This was far and away the best allergy-safe cake I’ve ever made. We all loved it, the birthday boy most of all (he’s fanatical about pears).

  2. Hello,

    I enjoyed the recipe, but I might suggest rewording some of the tips regarding substitutions. I substituted margarine and soy drink for butter and milk due to an allergy to cow’s milk protein in the family, and it turned out very well. As I can consume milk, I know that butter and milk adds a certain sweetness to a recipe that is obvious when you taste it, but they are not essential for a moist and light cake.

  3. 5 stars
    I made the pear cake this afternoon. It is absolutely delicious. I am constantly looking for recipes that I can adapt for my husbands very low carb diet: replaced the AP flour with Einkorn whole grain almond flour. No sugar: only 3 tablespoons of date sugar. Otherwise kept everything the same. Well, I did not peel my very ripe pears. The cake rose beautifully. I added cinnamon to the pears after I flipped the cake, while the cake was still warm. What makes “no” sugar work, are the spices (added ginger to the batter), vanilla, a whole lemon’s worth of zest and the pears themselves, sprinkled with cinnamon. I will try adapting this recipe using apples, blueberries, orange peel etc. It is super moist and wonderful with yogurt etc. Thank you !

    1. Thanks for leaving a review! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for sharing your experience with us.

  4. 5 stars
    This came out perfect, extremely fluffy and light. The lemon zest is a perfect addition to the pear. I will be making this again.