Pear Coffee Cake
If you’re looking to make the weekend a little more special with just a minimum of effort, I think this Pear Coffee Cake is your answer. If you need any more convincing that having a homey, tender cake studded with sweet juicy pears and topped with a cinnamon-y, pecan streusel topping is a good idea to have around, read on—otherwise, skip to the recipe below and get cracking!
As I already kinda mentioned, this lovely little everyday cake comes together quickly and easily without the need of a mixer.
It’s also made up of standard pantry and fridge staples, so no extra trips to the market—
Other than for the pears of course, which always kind of get eclipsed by apples and pumpkins so this is the perfect chance to show them some seasonal love.
Then, there’s the addictively crumbly topping—I don’t really need to sing the praises of that, do I?
As this bakes, your house will smell absolutely fabulous!
And this little cake will be just as welcome at brunch as it will be with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea or as a simple after-dinner dessert. So it’s versatile too!
Okey-dokey, I think I’ve done enough of a sell—even I’m tempted to go get more pears and make this on repeat for the weekend. Speaking of which, have a great, delicious and safe one and I’ll see you next week with more food and fun!!xoxo
Pear Coffee Cake
Makes 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: About 1 hour
Ingredients
Softened butter for greasing the pan
2-3 large ripe but still a little firm pears
1 cup canola oil
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for the pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 9 or 10-inch round baking pan and set aside. Peel and core the pears and cut them into small ½-inch chunks and measure about 1 ½ cups out for the recipe—eat any extra.
2. In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the oil, sugar, and eggs together until smooth. Sift the flour, baking soda and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon over the mixture and gently fold the dry ingredients in, using a rubber spatula. Fold in the pears and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the pecans, brown sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
4. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake looks golden brown. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into wedges and serve.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Desserts From The Loveless Cafe by Alisa Huntsman. I cut the ginger and subbed in pecans for the walnuts. Also, I recommend serving this straight from the pan and not trying to invert it to remove it from the pan, since you lose a lot of the crumbly topping in the process.
