Spiced Pear Crumb Cake
This spiced pear crumb cake is just the recipe you need for all those fresh pears from pear season. Ripe pears, folded into a rich, spiced cake batter, topped with more fresh pears, a buttery crumb topping and a generous drizzle of a simple vanilla icing!
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This pear crumble cake is perfect as an afternoon treat or to round out the perfect meal. The browned butter complements the warm spices and sweetness of the pears while giving it depth and adding sour cream and oil tenderize the crumb giving the cake a plush texture.
This spiced pear cake is perfect for those who want to stun with an amazing dessert without actually going through a lot trouble! Looking for more elegant but low-lift desserts? Check out this hummingbird bundt cake or this Biscoff cookie butter bundt cake.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Spiced Pear Crumb Cake
🕒 Ready In: 1 hour and 45 minutes (excluding cooling time)
👪 Serves: 12
🍽 Calories: 497 calories per serving (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Bosc pears, cardamom, flour, brown sugar, brown butter, oil, sour cream, eggs
👌 Difficulty: Medium
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Its the perfect way to use surplus seasonal produce or overripe pears!
- Easily customize the recipe by swapping pears for apples for an apple crumb cake. Use Pink Lady apples. They have a perfect balance of sweet and tart and hold their shape once baked.
- Perfect as a dessert or as a snack with afternoon tea.
Key Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for exact quantities and instructions!
Bosc pears. A sweet pear with notes of honey that keeps it's shape when ripe and when baked. Diced Bosc pears are folded into the batter and layered on top of the cake.
All-purpose flour. Has enough gluten to support the fruit mix-ins and the topping of this cake. Also used in the streusel for the crumb topping.
Brown sugar. Sweetens the cake, complementing the warm flavors of the spices and makes the cake moist.
Unsalted butter. Makes the cake more flavorful plus it's browned for a deeper and warmer flavor.
Vegetable oil. Keeps the cake moist for longer and makes the cake feel softer than an all-butter cake if you refrigerate it.
Sour cream. Incorporates more fat into the cake for a tender crumb and rich flavor.
Spices & flavoring. Vanilla extract, ground cardamom and ground cinnamon.
Substitutions & Variations
- Substitute Bosc pears for Concorde or Anjou pears. These pears stay firm and hold their shape once baked.
- Turn this into an apple crumb cake by swapping pears for apples completely.
- Out of sour cream? Sub in an equal amount of whole milk Greek yogurt.
How to Make Spiced Pear Crumb Cake
Make the Streusel Topping
Step 1. Combine the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon & salt in a bowl. Mix to evenly distribute all the components.
Step 2. Using your fingertips, rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it forms chunks. The more you rub the butter in, the more it will clump together so this may take a little longer if you prefer larger chunks. Set aside in a cool area until ready to bake the cake.
Make the Spiced Cake Batter
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Step 2. Peel and core the pears then dice them into small pieces. Set aside.
Step 3. Sift the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside.
Step 4. Brown the butter, melting it over medium to medium-high heat in a light-colored or stainless steel pain until the milk solids are golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat to avoid burning the butter since the butter will continue to cook a little.
Check out this post for a step-by-step guide on how to brown butter.
Step 5. Add the (still warm) browned butter to a mixing bowl along with the dark brown sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
I like to add the browned butter first and the eggs last so the eggs aren't scalded/cooked by the browned butter if it's too hot.
Step 6. Add the sifted dry ingredients set aside earlier to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until there are little to no dry spots.
Step 7. Add half of the diced pears to the cake batter and, using a spatula, gently fold in by hand to evenly distribute.
Step 8. Transfer the batter to 8-inch pan prepared with baking spray. If using an 8-inch cake pan, the pan should be at least 3-inches deep. Alternatively, you can use a standard 9-inch cake pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly. Do not tap the cake pan on the counter to level out the batter as this will not only cause the cake to be dense but also cause a lot the fruit to settle to the bottom.
Step 8. Scatter the remaining diced pears on top of cake batter evenly followed by the streusel topping prepared earlier.
Be sure to add pears and the crumb topping all the way the edges of the pan so that the cake rises evenly. If the toppings are concentrated in the center the cake will sink in the middle.
Step 9. Bake the spiced pear crumb cake on the center rack of an oven at 325°F for an 75 to 90 minutes until the cake springs back when pressed or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cake cool before removing it from the pan.
Make the Vanilla Glaze
Step 1. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, water and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to incorporate.
Step 2. Add the melted butter and whisk again til smooth. Add extra water a little at a time (½ teaspoon increments) as desired to thin the glaze.
Step 3. Pour the glaze on top of your cooled spiced pear crumb cake and serve! You can also top with a dusting of powdered sugar in addition to or in lieu of the vanilla glaze.
Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting
This cake has a lot of toppings so it's important to spread them evenly right to the edges. If not, the weight of toppings concentrated in a certain area will ause that area to sink.
For more even distribution I recommend dicing the pears, especially for folding into the batter. If you do opt for sliced pears, only slice the portion for the topping and slice them thinly to avoid them sinking into or through the batter.
While browned butter adds a lot of depth to the flavor of the cake, you can skip that step if you're a little short on time. Jus be sure to melt the butter before incorporating it into the batter.
Using room temperature or softened butter will prevent large clumps from forming so it's important to use cold butter and keep the prepared crumb topping cool until ready to top the cake. Starting with cold butter also prevents the butter from melting since as it is manipulated, larger clumps form.
Due to the incorporation of fresh fruit, any leftovers should be stored at room temperature in a slightly breathable container (like wrapped in foil or tupperware with a loose lid) to avoid the fruit going bad. An airtight container would expedite spoilage.
This spiced pear crumb cake is an elegant and delicious dessert - perfect to whip out for the times you can't be bothered with a layer cake or decorating cupcakes!
Recipe Card
Spiced Pear Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Combine the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Mix to evenly distribute all the components.45 grams all-purpose flour, 38 grams dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch salt
- Using your fingertips, rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until it forms chunks. The more you rub the butter in, the more it will clump together. Set aside in a cool area until ready to bake the cake.45 grams unsalted butter
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Peel and core the pears then dice them into small pieces. Set aside.440 grams Bosc pears
- Sift the all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda together in a bowl and set aside.285 grams all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Brown the butter, melting it over medium to medium-high heat in a light-colored or stainless steel pan until the milk solids are golden brown. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat immediately.Be sure to constantly scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula so the milk solids don't burn.170 grams unsalted butter
- Add the (still warm) browned butter to a mixing bowl along with the dark brown sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium speed until smooth.I like to add the browned butter first and the eggs last so the eggs aren't scalded/cooked by the browned butter if it's too hot.340 grams sour cream, 195 grams dark brown sugar, 45 grams vegetable oil, 1½ tablespoons ground cardamom, 1½ tablespoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3 large eggs
- Add the sifted dry ingredients set aside earlier and mix on low speed until there are little to no dry spots.
- Add half of the diced pears to the cake batter and, using a spatula, gently fold in by hand to evenly distribute.
- Transfer the batter to an 8 or 9-inch prepared with baking spray. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly. Do not tap the cake pan on the counter to level out the batter. This will not only cause the cake to be dense but also cause a lot the fruit to settle to the bottom.
- Scatter the remaining diced pears on top of the cake batter evenly followed by the crumb topping prepared earlier.Be sure to add pears and the crumb topping all the way the edges of the pan. If the toppings are concentrated in the center the cake will sink in the middle.
- Bake the spiced pear crumb cake on the center rack of an oven at 325°F for 75 to 90 minutes until the cake springs back when pressed or until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the pan.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, water and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to incorporate.145 grams powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Add the melted butter and whisk again til smooth.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- If desired, add extra water, a little at a time (½ teaspoon increments), as desired to thin the glaze.
- Pour the glaze on top of your cooled spiced pear crumb cake and serve! You can also top with a dusting of powdered sugar in addition to or in lieu of the vanilla glaze.
- Due to the incorporation of fresh fruit, any leftovers should be stored at room temperature in a slightly breathable container (like wrapped in foil or tupperware with a loose lid) to avoid the fruit going bad. An airtight container would expedite spoilage
Nutrition
Notes
- If using an 8-inch cake pan, the pan should be at least 3-inches deep. Alternatively, you can use a standard 9-inch cake pan.
- Check out this post for a step-by-step tutorial on how to brown butter.
