Fresh Pear Cake

If you’ve ever made an apple cake and loved it, this pear version will stop you in your tracks. Three full cups of thinly sliced fresh pears fold into a rich, oil-based batter that bakes into one of the moistest Bundt cakes you’ll ever pull from an oven.

Oil instead of butter is what makes this cake stay soft and tender for days. Butter cakes firm up as they cool, but oil keeps the crumb lush straight from the fridge. The pears release their juice during baking, which steams through the batter and creates pockets of fruit-scented moisture throughout.

Two teaspoons of cinnamon is generous, and it needs to be. Pears are milder and sweeter than apples, so they need that warm spice presence to keep the cake from tasting flat. The vanilla rounds everything out.

The simple powdered sugar glaze drizzled over the cooled cake adds just enough sweetness to finish it without competing with the pears.

Pro Tips

• Use ripe but firm pears. Overripe pears turn to mush and make the cake soggy
• Slice the pears thin so they distribute evenly and cook through during the hour-long bake
• Grease the Bundt pan thoroughly, especially the center tube. This cake is dense and will stick
• Add the flour one cup at a time and mix well between additions to avoid lumps in this thick batter

Variations

• Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch
• Replace the powdered sugar glaze with a caramel drizzle for a richer finish
• Fold in ¼ cup of crystallized ginger pieces for a warm, spicy bite