What is not to love about the combination of pears & clove? What about when they’re mixed together into a simple cake batter, topped with sugar, and baked until golden and flaky? It’s absolute divine. The pears soften so nicely that it almost gives the cake a creamy texture. Top this cake with your choice of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of yogurt, creme fraiche or whipped cream. Our family eats this for breakfast (yes, that’s right) and dessert. The whole cake is typically gone in 36 hours. It’s so simple to put together and mostly uses ingredients you already have on hand.
Pears & Cloves
What a match made in heaven. Light and tender pears combined with a nice, warming spice. This is a great cake for a holiday brunch or dinner. Pears are in their prime in Fall and Winter, but you can bake this cake year round. My youngest son LOVES pears so we always have them on hand along with the few other ingredients in this recipe.
Pears – I’ve used all sorts of pears for this cake. Pick your favorite or whichever seems ripe and ready!
Kitchen Tools – You will need a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, an 8 inch cake pan lined with parchment and non stick spray (this one is my favorite), and a silicone spatula. To prepare the pears, you will need a peeler and a knife.
Substitutions Apples and cinnamon are great substitutes. Simply exchange the pears for apples and the cloves for cinnamon.
Pairings This Pear & Clove Cake will pair nicely with our Beautiful Balsamic Beet Salad and Butternut & Bacon Soup.
Pour some Champagne or an Old-Fashioned with this cake for dessert. The next day it will go great with your coffee or mimosa for breakfast.
If you like this recipe. try our Pumpkin Bread with Apple Cider Glaze, The Best Banana Bread Recipe, Barbaras Cranberry Bread Recipe, or our White Chocolate Almond Scones
Recipe
Pear and Clove Cake
What is not to love about pears and cloves tossed in a simple batter, topped with sugar and baked until golden brown and flaky?
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 C Granulated Sugar, plus 3T for sprinkling on top
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
- 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 3-4 Pears, peeled, cored and diced (about 2-3 cups)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray.
- Step 2 Combine flour, baking powder, cloves,and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Step 3 In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a hand mixer, whisk together eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla for about 5 minutes until thick and a light pale color. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- Step 4 Add melted butter and whisk until combined. Then, add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
- Step 5 Fold in diced pears with spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Evenly sprinkle the 3T sugar on top.
- Step 6 Bake for about an hour, rotating the pan halfway through bake time for even cooking, until golden brown, flaky and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
About the Author
Lauren is a classically trained, professional chef. A culinary school graduate, she has spent time working organic farms in the Italian countryside and was the pastry/sous chef at a high profile restaurant in Dallas prior to becoming a full-time personal chef. Her cooking style is often referred to as “rustic.” Being a personal chef, she is not bound by a single type of cuisine and has had the opportunity to experiment with hundreds of regional recipes from all over the world.
