Pear coffee cake recipe with cardamom crumble
Pear coffee cake topped with a thick layer of buttery crumble is a delicious treat. This breakfast cake recipe is flavored with ginger, and has a cardamom-scented streusel topping. It is large enough to feed the whole family, making it perfect for fall weekend mornings.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my blueberry crumb cake and my cranberry coffee cake recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my cake recipes in one place.
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I made this for a luncheon and everyone (including my teenage son), RAVED about it. I never made the streusel topping like that before (pre-melting the butter), but it came out perfectly. So moist and delicious!
– Reader Jennie
Pear coffee cake recipe
This pear crumb cake is big enough to feed at least 12 people, making it perfect for holidays and weekends. It stays moist for days, so you can bake it a day ahead of time.
This simple crumb cake requires nothing more than a bit of mixing and stirring, making it a great recipe for beginner bakers.
What you need to know
This pear sour cream coffee cake has a hefty amount of fresh pears in the batter. Pears are in season from August until November, so right now is the perfect time to make this cake.
It makes a wonderful weekend brunch treat (or anytime treat), especially during the holiday season. The sour cream helps to keep this cake moist, making it an ideal make ahead project.
The recipe calls for peeling the pears – you can do this with a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler. The skins are very thin and will basically slip right off.
Ingredients
To make this pear ginger coffee cake you will need a handful of pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients.
- All-purpose flour – Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. I highly recommend using a scale to measure flour.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in your baked goods.
- Pears – You’ll need two large, ripe pears.
- Vanilla – Vanilla extract gives baked goods that familiar flavor we all love.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar provides just a touch of sweetness.
- Sour cream – This gives the coffee cake moisture and tang.
- Substitution: No sour cream? You can swap it with buttermilk or Greek yogurt. Directions are in the recipe card.
- Eggs – Eggs provide moisture and structure to the batter.
- Salt – All baked goods need salt. I use Diamond Crystal in all of my recipes.
- Baking powder – Baking powder gives the cake a bit of lift.
- Baking soda – Baking soda reacts with the acid in the sour cream to give the cake a fluffy interior.
- Ground ginger – This gives the cake wonderful flavor and ginger pairs well with pear.
Cardamom crumb topping
There is a trick to getting big chunks of crumb on top of the cake. This is how to make the best crumb topping for coffee cake. When you are stirring the melted butter into the dry ingredients, it will start to clump up – that’s good.
Use a fork to gently stir it together, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as well, to incorporate everything. The key is to mix gently, so you don’t break up the big clumps of crumble.
There will be some fine, sandy bits at the bottom of the bowl – gather all of that up in your hand and squeeze it together until it forms a solid piece. Break it into large chunks and top your cake. The problem with those sandy bits is this: they will melt into the top of your cake. A little is fine, but if the whole coffee cake was that way, you wouldn’t get those big pieces of crumb that we all love.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make pear coffee cake. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
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- Prep – Preheat oven to 350° / 180°C / Gas mark 4. Make the crumb topping, and set aside. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Beat the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine them to make the batter, fold in half of the pears.
- Spread – Add the batter to the prepared pan, then top with remaining chopped pears.
- Top – Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cake.
- Bake – Bake until a toothpick, or tester, comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before transferring it to a metal rack to cool completely. You can use the parchment paper sling to carefully lift the coffee cake from the pan.
Pear coffee cake FAQ’s
No, coffee cake does not need to be refrigerated. However, to extend the life of the cake, store it in an airtight container, or tightly covered, in the refrigerator.
Yes, you’ll need to use twice as much fresh ginger in the cake, as ground ginger has a stronger flavor.
Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Store covered at room temperature for 3 – 4 days. Refrigerate to store for longer periods.
To freeze: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (cling film) and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Variations and substitutions
- Buttermilk – Swap sour cream for 3/4 cup of buttermilk.
- Greek yogurt – Substitute the same amount of sour cream for yogurt.
- Nutty – Add 1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts to the cake batter, or the crumb topping for a nutty twist.
Helpful tools and equipment
- You’ll need a 9 x 13 baking pan for this recipe.
- Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.
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Pear coffee cake recipe
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 300g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal – reduce by half if using table salt.
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 stick / 113g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1⅛ cup sour cream 270ml
- 2 ripe pears peeled and chopped
For the crumb topping
- 1 1/2 cups flour 180g
- 1 cup packed brown sugar 213g
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cardamom If you like a strongly flavored crumb, use 1 ½ tsp.
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 113g / 1 stick
Instructions
Make the crumb topping:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cardamom, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the mixture, and stir with a fork until it begins to form clumps. Set aside.
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350° / 180°C / Gas mark 4. Line a 9×13 cake pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on either side, so you can use this to help lift the cake out later.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger. Set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 – 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream, beat to combine.
- Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed, until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in half of the chopped pears. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then gently fold a few more times to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the parchment-lined pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle remaining pears on top.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of the cake batter. Use your hand to squeeze together the sandy bits and smaller pieces, then break off larger pieces to top the cake.
- Bake the pear coffee cake on the middle rack for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs stuck to it.
- Place the cake pan on a cooling rack, and let the cake cool for about 30 minutes, before using the paper sling to carefully lift the cake from the pan, and place it back on the cooling rack to cool before cutting.
Chef’s Notes
- To substitute buttermilk for sour cream: Use 3/4 cup of buttermilk in place of sour cream.
- To substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream: Use the same amount of sour cream – 1 1/8 cup.
- You can cut the cake when it is slightly warm, but don’t cut it when it is hot from the oven. Store the cake covered at room temperature for 3 – 4 days, or in the refrigerator for about a week.
- To freeze the cake, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container, like a zip-top bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- This cake can serve up to 15 – 18 people if you cut the pieces slightly smaller.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. Use your preferred nutritional calculator using the products and brands you are using for exact information.
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This recipe looks absolutely divine — love the combo of juicy pears with a buttery cardamom crumble!
Such a cozy, delicious coffee cake!
Thank you!!
I made this for a luncheon and everyone (including my teenager baker son) RAVED about it. I personally would like a tad more ginger and cardamom flavor, so I might double those the next time I make it. I never made the streusel topping like that before (premelting the butter), but it came out perfectly. So moist and delicious!
Thanks so much, Jennie! I’m so glad the coffee cake was a hit! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a glowing review and kind words, I truly appreciate it!! xx