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This tender, one-bowl Pear Cake features a buttery sponge and juicy sliced pears finished with a crisp, caramelized cinnamon-sugar crust.
Easy Moist Pear Cake is the ultimate 20-minute prep dessert that delivers a bakery-style result with minimal effort. If you’ve been searching for a moist fruit cake that balances a buttery, light sponge with the natural sweetness of ripe pears, this recipe is designed for a perfect, tender crumb every single time.
The Secret to a Fluffy Crumb: Aeration
To prevent a gummy texture or sinking fruit, the secret is aeration. By whipping your butter and sugar on high speed before adding eggs, you create a structural “net” of air pockets. This ensures your sponge stays light and fluffy while keeping the pear slices perfectly suspended instead of sinking to the bottom.
The “Shield & Bake” Method
Pears have high water content, which means the center takes longer to set. To protect the crust while the inside finishes, use my Shield & Bake rule: Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil at the 40-minute mark. This traps “carry-over heat” to cook the center without burning your cinnamon-sugar topping.
Quick Facts
Cuisine: Classic Dessert / Fruit Cake
Skill Level: Intermediate
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 60 Minutes
Key Flavors: Warm Cinnamon, Buttery Vanilla, Jammy Pear
Pear Cake Ingredients
Before you even crack an egg, gather your ingredients. Having your butter and eggs at room temperature is non-negotiable for a silky batter.
The Fresh Fruit
- 3 Ripe Pears (Bartlett or Bosc): Peeled and thinly sliced for a jammy texture.
The Batter Base
- Pantry Essentials: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder.
- Liquid Gold: Softened unsalted butter, whole milk, and room-temperature eggs.
- Flavor Aromatics: Vanilla extract, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.
The Signature Topping
- Cinnamon & Brown Sugar: Sprinkled heavily to create a crackly, caramelized crust.
* Recipe measurements are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pear Cake: Step-by-Step Instructions
Chef’s Tips
- Choosing the Right Pear: Use Bosc or Anjou pears if you want them to hold their shape perfectly. If you prefer a more “jammy” fruit texture that melts into the sponge, go with ripe Bartlett pears.
- Pan Size Matters: I recommend a 10×3 inch deep springform pan. If you use a wider, shallower pan, reduce the bake time by 10–15 minutes and keep a close eye on the center.
- Don’t forget the Shield & Bake foil tent at the 40-minute mark!
Storage & Freezing Tips
- Room Temperature: This cake stays moist for 2 days in an airtight container on the counter.
- Refrigeration: For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 5 days. Chef’s Tip: Bring a slice to room temperature or microwave for 10 seconds to restore the buttery crumb.
- Freezing: Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Yes! If using canned pears, drain them well and pat them dry to avoid excess moisture.
I highly recommend peeling them. While the skin looks rustic, it can become tough and papery during the long bake time. Peeling ensures a consistent, melt-in-your-mouth texture in every bite.
This usually happens if the oven door is opened too early or if the leavening agents (baking powder) are old. Ensure your oven is fully preheated before sliding the pan in!
This usually happens if the batter was over-mixed or not aerated enough. Ensure you whip the eggs/sugar for the full 2 minutes to create that sturdy base.
Easy Moist Pear Cake
Equipment
- 10 x 3 inch Round Springform (Easy Release) changing pan will change cook time.
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
- 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
- ⅛ tsp. salt, Just a pinch
- 1 tsp. lemon zest, (optional)
- 2 tbsps. confectioner suger, for dusting after baking
TOPINGS before baking:
- ¼ cup brown sugar, or less as desired
- ¾ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Peel, core, and thinly slice the pears; set aside.
- Cream the Base: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for approximately 1 minute until well combined and smooth.
- Aerate the Batter: Add the vanilla extract, fresh lemon zest, and eggs. Continue to whip on high speed for 1–2 minutes until the mixture is noticeably pale, voluminous, and fluffy.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Lower the mixer speed and add the baking powder, sifted flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix for about 1 minute until just combined.
- Emulsify: With the mixer on low, gradually stream in the milk and oil. Continue mixing for another minute until the batter is thick and glossy. Mima’s Tip: The batter should be sturdy enough to hold the fruit, not runny.
- Prepare the Pan: Line the bottom of a 10×3-inch deep springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides thoroughly with baking spray. Transfer the batter into the pan and smooth the surface.
- Layer and Season: Carefully arrange the sliced pears in an even layer to cover the entire surface of the batter. Finish with a generous dusting of ground cinnamon and brown sugar.
- The Bake: Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. At the 40-minute mark, loosely tent the cake with aluminum foil to prevent the top from over-browning while the center finishes cooking.
- The Doneness Test: To ensure a moist crumb, avoid over-baking. Insert a wooden skewer into the center; it should come out completely clean before you remove the cake from the oven.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool in the pan, covered with a clean kitchen towel to retain moisture. Once fully cooled (about 1 hour), remove from the springform pan and dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
Video
Notes
- Room Temp is Key: Ensure your butter and eggs are at room temperature for a silky, light sponge.
- The Foil Shield: If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil at the 40-minute mark to let the center finish baking.
- Don’t Over-mix: Once the flour is in, mix just until combined to keep the texture delicate and soft.
- The Skewer Test: Always check the center with a wooden skewer; it should come out clean, as pears release extra moisture while baking.
Nutrition
If you love cake recipes, check out these other amazing cake recipe using pears: Pear Bundt Cake Recipe, Chocolate Cake with Pears, and Pear Upside-Down Cake.
More Cake Recipes
- Banana Walnut Cake
- Easy Easy Blueberry Breakfast Cake
- Super Moist Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Easy Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake
I love seeing your bakes! If you made this Easy Moist Pear Cake recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below. It helps the community and my kitchen! Also, follow me at Cookin’ With Mima on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest for all of my latest social posts and recipes.
Great cake.!Pretty simple.It did take almost twice as long to bake. , I bake cakes everyday in a restaurant so I know its not my Wolf oven. Good formula but youre baking time isnt correct. Thank you!
Hi Mars,
Thanks for leaving a review. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
came out perfect and so very moist, did not use cream or milk, 2 cup flour and tablespoon baking powder. just used extra butter (2 bars – 4 eggs) and cooked 48 minutes. Today it’s 93F outside so, the house is now sweltering, as I am, a cold beer is good, a slice of the pear cake, even better. Not too sweet only used 1 cup brown sugar.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was absolutely delicious ! I had 3 very ripe pears that I didn’t want to waste and this was the best use for them! Can’t wait to have a slice with a cup of coffee in the morning, but I had to try it as soon as it was cooled. YUMMY!!!
I used a 10 inch springform pan and it was the perfect size.
I did have to bake for 20 – 30 minutes more than called for. My oven must be different.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for the rating.
I baked this cake for the first time and I followed exactly as the recipe said. It turned out great! Amazing really! I wish I could upload a photo to show the beauty of it! I sprinkled some sliced almond on it too and it was heaven in my mouth!
I just had two questions: 1- can this recipe be altered with apple or peach do you think? and 2- can this cake be kept outside of the fridge? and if so for how long typically?
Thank you for this wonderful treat!
Hi,
yes of course you can replace it with those fruits. Also, I would say 3 days at the most outside the fridge, with AC, in an air tight container.
Is it definitely two tablespoons of vanilla extract?
Yes I like to use a lot, but one would do. It’s a matter of preference.
one tbspoon of vanilla was just right IMO!
That works!
I just made this cake and it was so good. Great morning accompaniment with coffee. I chose to add pear juice from smashed pears in the original batter. This allowed for 15 extra minutes baking. This was my first baking attempt and feel like I can now go further. I cook but never baked, this looked good and may have given me a false bravado but I did enjoy it. I also made a orange whisky glaze to top it…. ……………😏 I wish i could send a pic because it looked beautiful too. Thanks!
I am glad it turned out good and you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review.
Made this for a crochet get- together with some friends. They loved it ( so did hubby – saved him a slice). Will definitely make this again. Going to try next time to add pears to the mixture to increase the pear taste.
Hi Adre,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for leaving a review.
Hi I made this for the first time and although the instructions were straight forward it almost 1 hour and 30 min to bake is this normal? I have not cut into it yet cooling at the moment hoping that it came out great!
not sure what went wrong hun. hopefully it worked out for you.
Hi I made this for the first time and although the instructions were straight forward it almost 1 hour and 30 min to bake is this normal? I have not cut into it yet cooling at the moment hoping that it came out great!
that’s weird. not sure what went wrong.
Super moist. Love the cake. Didn’t taste too much of the pears but that’s OK. The cake was wonderful. I will definitely make this again.