Italian Pear Cake
This Italian pear cake is light, fluffy, and easy to make with just 8 ingredients - A simple pear dessert perfect for fall season!
Serving: 12
Calories: 220kcal
Ingredients
- 600 g pears, peeled and cored, about 5 pears
- 120 ml butter, at room temperature
- 120 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon honey, optional
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder, approx 15 gram
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F and adjust a baking rack onto the middle shelf. Grease and line with parchment paper a 9-inch cake pan and set it aside.
- Chop about ½ of the pears for the cake batter and set them aside. Slice or chop the remaining fruit for the topping, and set them aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the butter and sugar with an electric whisker until light, pale, and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Then gently whisk one egg at a time, followed by the lemon zest, honey, vanilla (if using), and a pinch of sea salt.
- Place a sieve/ strainer over the bowl. Add flour and baking powder, and sift into the cake batter. Whisk until just combined (do not overmix).
- Add the chopped pears to the batter and mix until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Top the batter with the remaining fresh fruit.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking time, cover the top of the cake with foil to prevent it from browning too much. To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
- Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool, then gently remove the cake from the pan.
- Brush your Italian pear cake with apricot jam, or dust with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature. It's lovely topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh cream, or Greek yogurt.
Notes
Baking tips:
Measure your ingredients: I always recommend using a baking scale to weigh your ingredients. US cups measurements are provided but please refer to grams measurements for best results.
Cut pears into small pieces: Peel and chop your pears into small cubes. If the pieces are too big, they might sink to the bottom or not cook all the way through.
Don’t over-mix the batter: Once the ingredients are combined, do not continue mixing. Over-mixing can make the cake dry or tough.
Don’t over-mix the batter: Once the ingredients are combined, do not continue mixing. Over-mixing can make the cake dry or tough.
Storage tips: Store your cake in an airtight container in the fridge or in a cool spot in your kitchen, for up to 3 days. You can cut into slices and freeze individually in freezer bags up to 3 months.
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Nutrition
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.