Spiced Pear Cake with Cardamom

Looking for an easy and delicious pear cake recipe with all the cozy vibes? Look no further. This Spiced Pear Cake with Cardamom is just the thing. Made with ripe pears, warm spices and brown butter, this simple pear bundt cake is incredibly moist and flavorful.

And good news....it only takes about 20 minutes to get this cake ready for the oven. That's my kind of dessert! Keep reading for step-by-step instructions for making this soul-warming Spiced Pear Cake with Cardamom at home.

Why This Recipe Works

• Chopped ripe pears become tender and sweet when baked in this flavorful cake batter.
• Brown butter adds toasty caramel notes to the cake while canola oil keeps the crumb incredibly moist.
• Cinnamon, ginger and cardamom along with a splash of vanilla round out the warm spice notes creating an incredibly delicious and comforting cake.

Ingredients

• You have many of your typical cake ingredients here: flour, baking soda, salt, sour cream and eggs form the foundation of this cake.
• A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar brings sweetness, caramel notes and moisture to the cake crumb.
• A mix of brown butter (butter that has been melted and heated until toasty brown) and canola or vegetable oil adds deep caramel notes and ensures a moist crumb in the finished cake.
• Tender, sweet pears are the star of this recipe. I like Bartlett pears here but any variety will do. For best results, make sure that your pears are ripe and ready to go prior to baking.
• Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and vanilla add warm and cozy flavor to this homey cake.

Special Equipment

• 10 cup capacity bundt pan
• Stand mixer or hand held mixer (These tools are nice but not necessary. You can also mix by hand if you prefer)

How to Make this Recipe

• Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and buttering and flouring the bundt pan. This is an important step as sometimes these baking pans have deep ridges and it's easy for the cake to stick if you haven't greased and floured the pan well. You can also use a baking spray such as Pam for Baking.

• Make the brown butter: Place the butter in a medium skillet and heat over medium low, swirling the pan frequently. Once the butter has melted, continue to cook, swirling frequently, until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown in color. Immediately transfer the brown butter to a bowl to cool briefly.

• Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the oil, brown butter, sugar and brown sugar together in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 2-3 minutes.

• Add the eggs one at a time, making sure one is thoroughly combined before adding the next. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter just comes together. Fold in the chopped pears with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

• Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top. Bake until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes.

• Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges where the cake and pan meet to make sure you don't have any spots where the cake is stuck. Once you are sure that the cake is free from the pan, invert it onto a serving plate.
• Once the cake is pleasantly warm or room temperature, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired and serve!

Expert Tips

• While you could simply use melted butter rather than brown butter in this recipe, I would encourage you not to skip this step! Brown butter adds so much delicious flavor to this cake.
• Don't over mix the cake batter once you've added the dry ingredients. This can cause your cake to be tough in texture rather than tender and soft.
• Use ripe pears (preferably the Bartlett variety) if possible.

FAQs

How To Serve Pear Spice Cake

This cake is delicious on it's own and really doesn't need any embellishment, especially if you are enjoying it as a simple afternoon fika treat with a cup of coffee. That said, a sprinkle of powdered sugar looks lovely on top! If you'd like to dress it up a little more consider the following:

• A drizzle of homemade (or store bought) caramel sauce.
• A scoop of vanilla or cardamom ice cream.
• A dollop of whipped cream or this delicious whipped vanilla skyr cream.
• A drizzle of vanilla dessert sauce.
• A glaze prior to serving! Cream cheese would be nice as would a brown butter glaze like this one.

Related Recipes

Looking for more delicious pear recipes? Give these a try:

Recipe

If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your Spiced Pear Cake with Cardamom and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.