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Overhead view of Spiced Pear Cake with Cardamom next to pears and cardamom pods.

Spiced Pear Cake with Cardamom

A deliciously moist and simple bundt cake featuring tender, sweet pears, brown butter and warm spices.  The perfect afternoon treat with a cup of coffee!
5 from 5 votes
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Course: desserts, Fika
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian
Keyword: easy bundt cake, homemade bundt cake, pear bundt cake recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 serving (one 9-inch cake)
Calories: 370kcal
Author: Kristi

Equipment

  • 10 cup capacity bundt cake pan

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups peeled and chopped ripe pears about 4 medium pears
  • Powdered sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-cup capacity bundt pan.   Set aside.
  • Place the butter in a medium skillet (preferably not nonstick or cast iron so that you can more easily see the color change) and heat over medium, swirling the pan frequently. Once the butter has melted, continue to cook, swirly frequently, until the butter has a nutty aroma and is golden brown in color. Immediately transfer to a bowl to cool briefly.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger  Set aside.
  • Combine brown butter, oil, sugar and brown sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time fully incorporating one before adding the next.  Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated and smooth. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Fold in the pears with a rubber spatula.
  • Transfer the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes.
  • Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it from the cake and Invert onto a serving plate. Allow to cool completely.  Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve!

Notes

    • 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.
Serve simply with powdered sugar or add a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce or vanilla sauce or even a scoop of ice cream alongside!

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 346IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg