There is something so comforting about a homemade cake filled with spices and fruit. This easy pear cake has wonderful spices like cardamom and cinnamon for a gentle flavor that reminds me of childhood or the holidays. This one is a treat to make and there’s a reason it’s called an “easy” pear cake. But, by far the easiest part of this recipe is in the eating since this flavorful cake will be gobbled up in no time whenever you make it.
The batter is a simple one, but it gets a lot of flavor from the addition of plain yogurt. The aforementioned spices bring the batter to life and it comes together very quickly.
It’s a little bit more effort but if you want a stronger cardamom flavor you can grind your own at home. I do this for my baking and the results are incredible. I’ve never had
pre-ground ever taste as good as fresh-ground. Since you typically only need a tiny amount it’s easy enough to use a mortar and pestle or a hand crank spice grinder for this. As a nice bonus your kitchen will smell incredible before you even start baking!
The hardest part of this recipe is peeling the pears, but it doesn’t take long at all. If you were in a pinch you could use canned pears instead, but fresh will always yield a finished cake with more pear flavor.
Once you have your pears peeled and chopped you want to fold them into the batter. Mixing too vigorously can break the pears down. And, as we all know ripe pears can have a very soft texture.
After some experimenting we found that this cake is best when baked in a 9″x9″ greased and floured pan. Due to the soft and fluffy texture of the cake it doesn’t lend itself to being baked in a bundt pan (we found that out the hard way).
Once the cake is baked and cooled add the simple milk and powdered sugar glaze for the final touch. This is a wonderful cake to serve with tea, for dessert, or for a special snack. It’s a classic you’ll want to make over and over again!
Easy Pear Cake
Diet: Vegetarian
For the cake:
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled pears (about 2 fresh pears)
For the glaze:
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl beat eggs and then add in sugar, oil, and yogurt little by little beating, between each addition.
- Add in flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract, cardamom, salt, and baking soda and stir well. Fold pears into batter, which will be thick.
- Pour batter into a greased and floured 9”x9” square baking dish. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While cake is cooling combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract for the glaze. Drizzle evenly on top of cooled cake before slicing.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.