Spiced Almond Pear Cake
This easy pear cake gets its amazing flavor and texture from almond flour. Studded with chopped Bosc pear and infused with cinnamon, clove, and ginger, this seasonal cake is sure to become a holiday staple!
They are all about simplicity, which I love, but they offer a bit more elegance and flair than your standard quick bread or sheet cake. This Spiced Almond Pear Cake is the latest one layer cake to join my arsenal.
Spiced Almond Pear Cake: Ingredient Breakdown
How Ripe Should Pears Be for Baking?
This cake calls for Bosc pears, which are easy to find and lend themselves well to baking. You’ll need two medium pears for this recipe!
It is very important to use firm, just barely ripe pears for this recipe. This ensures that they will hold their shape and texture in the baked cake. Overripe pears will become mushy during baking. If you can’t find Bosc pears, Comice or Anjou will work too.
This recipe makes one 8-inch cake layer. You’ll need an 8-inch (2-inch deep) cake pan for this recipe. To ensure it comes out cleanly, be sure to grease and line the cake pan with parchment paper.
This pear cake batter uses the creaming method. You’ll want to use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) to prepare the batter.
How to Make Spiced Almond Pear Cake:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the unbleached all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.
- Combine the softened butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat over medium high speed for 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the almond and vanilla extract, and beat for an additional 30 seconds.
- Over low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, add the diced pears, and fold in gently using a spatula. Transfer to a greased and parchment-lined 8-inch cake pan.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.
Baking Note: This pear cake batter is thicker than most. This helps ensure that pear chunks don’t weigh down the batter and cause the cake to sink during baking. For this reason, you’ll need to reserve about an hour for baking.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS SPICED ALMOND PEAR CAKE:
- one layer, easy preparation, and simple garnishes!
- a moist and tender crumb with soft Bosc pear pieces throughout
- fragrant and lightly spiced with ground cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. it smells like fall!
- almond flour and pure almond extract give this cake great flavor. if you love almonds, you will love this cake.
How to Serve This Pear Cake:
This cake tastes fantastic on its own. It doesn’t need additional embellishment, which is one of the things that I love most about it.
It is a great cake to enjoy with tea or coffee around the holidays. Since it isn’t overly sweet, it would be a great addition to a brunch spread as well.
If you’re looking to dress it up for dessert, dust the cake lightly with confectioner’s sugar and serve each with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream (sprinkled with a pinch of ground cinnamon).
Other Almond Flour Recipes to Try:
Have leftover almond flour? You’ll love these recipes.
- Almond Sugar Cookies
- Almond Crescent Cookies (Kipferl Cookies)
- Pear Frangipane Tart
- Cranberry Christmas Cake
If you’re looking for additional guidance while making this recipe, be sure to watch the accompanying recipe video.
Spiced Almond Pear Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (150 g) Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup (84 g) Bob's Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (6 oz; 170 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) whole or low fat milk
- 2 medium ripe, yet firm Bosc pears peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
For Serving (Optional):
- lightly sweetened whipped cream
- ground cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (160°C) with a rack in the center position. Grease and line a 8-inch (2-inch deep) cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the unbleached all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine the softened butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat over medium high speed for 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the almond and vanilla extract; beat for an additional 30 seconds. Over low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk. Scrape down the bowl once or twice to ensure the ingredients are being incorporated evenly. The batter will be thick. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, add the diced pears, and fold them in gently using a spatula.
- Transfer the batter to the greased cake pan, level and smooth the batter with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully invert and remove the cake from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely (it tastes great slightly warm). Before serving, dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar if desired.
- Optional Serving Suggestions: Top each serving with a spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon.
Video
Tips for Success:
- While the texture of this cake is best the day (or day after) of baking, it can hold up well for several days. Wrap any leftovers loosely in plastic wrap and keep out at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
22 Comments on “Spiced Almond Pear Cake”
I have probably baked one thing in the last 10 or so years but this cake is so great, it inspired me to keep baking. So I got myself a stand mixer and then tried the blueberry tea cake, which is super also–so super my husband ate more than half in less than 24 hours. I’ve ordered a torte pan and plan to try your frangiapane when it arrives. My question, can I double this recipe and make two at a time? Do I need to make any adjustments? Thanks so much for your wonderful website.
What do you think of baking this in a 9×13 glass pan for a party?
Hi Jenna. The cake recipe wouldn’t produce the right volume to be converted into a 9 x 13. You’d have to make some conversions. I do not personally like to bake cakes in glass pans, as they are not good conductors of heat – and I wouldn’t want to tell you to try something that I haven’t tested first! Plus, you really want parchment in there, as it’s best for it not to cool in the cake pan. I would hate for you to waste ingredients and have it not result in a good outcome. Sorry!
Hi Laura Please suggest a substitute for eggs in this recipe
Will an egg replacer work
I never use egg replacer, so I can’t say for sure as it wasn’t tested with that option – however, it’s definitely worth a shot! Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
So delicious! Found this recipe because I was looking to use some bosc pears and it did not disappoint. Such a simple recipe to follow. My fellow colleagues enjoyed it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
do you think this could be baked in a bundt pan?
It’s slightly more delicate, so I’m hesitant to fully recommend without any reservations. I worry a bit about it coming out of the pan without any sticking at all.
This was so easy to make! It’s very light and moist. We actually ate it for breakfast without the whipped cream!
Yay! Thank you Candice!
Holy Canolis. I just made this. An hour ago. It completely made the house smell amazing. And it tastes even better!!! The crumb it’s so light and fluffy!!!!! I can’t take it. I made two. And I recognize I have to give one away or I’ll eat both of them!! What a great recipe.
This makes me so happy!! Thanks so much for the feedback Marisa!
Great recipe. Used 1/2 butter 1/2 applesauce. Reduced sugar to 1/2 cup. Added 1/4 tsp cardamom. Used bobs red mill 1:1 gluten free flour instead of all purpose.
I made this in a well greased bundt pan and it came out beautifully, even though I am at high elevation in Colorado. I added a bit more flour and 2 tablespoons buttermilk instead of milk, plus 2 more chopped pears to the batter. Everything takes a bit longer to bake here so cooking time was increased. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
I’ve made this a few times now and is such a beautiful moist cake. Everybody loves it. I just left out the almond extract as don’t have any.
This cake is incredible! So moist, and such delicate texture. The spices are just right! I will make this again soon!
So thrilled that you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback and review Margaret!
This is a delicious cake! In order to make this cake gluten-free I used Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 gluten free flour. The cake rose nicely and has great flavor. Perfectly spiced for the fall!
So thrilled to hear this!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback/review and I’m so thrilled that it worked just as well with the gluten free baking substitution too. Have a great day Ana!
If I want to make this cake gluten free, is there any reason I can’t eliminate the all purpose flour and use two cups of almond flour instead?
Yes, unfortunately you can’t substitute all purpose with almond flour. Wheat flour contains gluten, which contributes structure to this cake batter, so I would not recommend just replacing it. I’m assuming the resulting cake won’t rise as well and will most likely be undercooked. If you do need to make it gluten free, I recommend using a 1:1 Gluten Free substitute (such as Bob’s Red Mill) – however, I did not test this recipe with one, so please keep that in mind when making substitutions. I just simply can’t test all substitutions and can’t guarantee similar results. With that said, please let me know if you try it and if you have good results!