Pear coffee cake recipe

5 from 3 votes

Pear coffee cake with ginger and cardamom is the perfect fall weekend treat.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Cooling Time30

Total Time1 35

Course: Cake recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 477kcal

Author: Cheryl Bennett

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

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

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.

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.

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.