Pear Cake - The Plant Based School (2024)

Also, making it, it’s incredibly easy. Mix a few ingredients in a bowl, chop the pears in the batter, and cover the top of the cake with pear slices before baking it.

We then like to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top to make the pear cake cozy and perfect for fall and winter.

Once baked, the cake looks beautiful, and it tastes delicious. We eat it for breakfast, as a snack, or as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

The cake is egg-free, and you won’t even notice that. It’s soft, moist, and tasty, and it cuts perfectly.

Fresh pears

You can use most pear varieties to make this cake. We can recommend Bartlett pears, Forelle, Bosc, Concorde, Comice, Seckel, and our favorite Anjou pears.

Use pears that are not too hard or soft but just ripe. Also, you can keep the peel on.

Flour

We use all-purpose flour. To make the cake more wholesome, you can use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.

Milk

You can use any milk or non-dairy milk. We use unsweetened soy milk.

You can also use half milk, half yogurt, or buttermilk.

Sugar

We use white sugar, but the most type of sugar work, including brown sugar, palm sugar, and coconut sugar.

Vegetable oil

Any light-colored vegetable oil with a neutral flavor works here. For example, we like to use canola oil or sunflower oil.

You can substitute unsalted butter or dairy-free butter for oil. However, if you do so, you’ll need 25% more butter than oil (multiply our oil amount by 1.25).

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is for the top. We mix it with a tablespoon or two of sugar, then sprinkle it on top of the pears before baking the cakes. It’s optional, but we recommend it.

Baking powder

Baking powder helps the cake rise and turn out soft and fluffy. Make sure your baking powder hasn’t been open for too long, or else it might not work.

Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract is optional. It melds well with the pear and cinnamon flavor, and if you have it in your pantry, we recommend adding it.

You can also use the beans of a vanilla pod.

Salt

Salt is optional. You can add a pinch to tie the other ingredients together and enhance their flavor.

We don’t use eggs in this cake but rest assured you won’t notice that. The cake is moist, tasty, and soft and cuts perfectly.

Optional add-ins

Feel free to add one or more of the followings:

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (on top with the cinnamon)
• a dusting of powdered sugar to garnish on top

Make the cake batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9-inch (21 cm) springform pan or cake pan with parchment paper, sides, and bottom.

Add the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl: milk, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk well till combined.

Sift in the all-purpose flour and baking powder, and whisk it with a manual whisk, electric mixer, or stand mixer.

Tip for using mixers: start whisking at low speed so that the dry ingredients don’t spill out of the bowl. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for a few more minutes at medium speed.

Make sure lumps are gone but don’t overmix the batter. Over-mixing will result in a heavier and gummier pear cake.

Cut 1 pound of pears (about 450 grams) into four pieces lengthwise.

Cut their stem and core them, chop them into small chunks and add them to the cake batter.

Stir the pears in the batter with a spatula, then pour the batter into the springform pan.

Make the top

Cut three small pears in half and remove their core with a teaspoon (we use a US measuring spoon).

Cut the half pears into thin slices.

Arrange the slices on top of the cake in a fan-like fashion to cover the whole surface of the cake.

Mix one or two tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the pears.

Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted inside comes out dry.

Gently open the springform pan and cool down the cake completely before slicing it and serving it.

It’s delicious on its own or with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Chocolate chip pear cake

Add 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips and get an extra indulgent and chocolate-infused pear cake.

Apple cake

Do you know you can make the exact cake but with apples? The result is a delicious, soft, crowd-pleasing apple cake that everyone will devour and ask for seconds.

Check out our apple cake recipe.

Blueberry cake

You can even use the same cake batter for baking a lemon blueberry cake. In this one, we add a little lemon juice and lemon zest instead of cinnamon, which is terrific.

The blueberries pop in the oven and color the cake purple, infusing it with berry flavor and making it extra moist and delicious.

Store cake at room temperature under a cake dome, wrapped in foil or plastic to keep the pear cake soft for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Let it cool down completely, transfer it into a freezer-friendly container, and freeze it.

More recipes with fruit

For more fruity desserts and treats, take some inspiration from these wholesome dessert favorites:

• Easy fruit tart with homemade pie crust and a fruit-packed topping
• Super easy baked pears made with just 4 ingredients, a quick and healthy treat
• Baked apples with cinnamon sugar and walnuts
• Overnight oats with grated apple and almonds

When cold weather and the holiday season are upon us, we cook these sweet and savory recipes on repeat:

• Easy vanilla custard with 5 easy-to-find ingredients, ready in 10 minutes!
• Vegan carrot cake: a light and airy cake with cinnamon and nutmeg, perfect for Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations
• Irresistible cinnamon buns with brioche dough and cinnamon-sugar filling
• Vegan pancakes: perfect for brunch and Sunday breakfasts

Or these savory recipes that make excellent side dishes:

• Roasted brussels sprouts with a creamy maple syrup-dressing
• Tender roasted sweet potatoes: 3 easy ideas for baking sweet potatoes
• Green bean salad with feta, fresh tomatoes, and creamy mustard dressing
• Microwave sweet potatoes: a 5-minute recipe with easy toppings for weekday and holiday occasions