This Pear Streusel Cake is the perfect fall and winter dessert with an easy-to make tender cake base and a delicious streusel topping – make it with fresh or canned pears for an easy dessert!
NEVER MISS A POST! FOLLOW ME ON:
FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
Happy weekend friends! I’m so glad to be sharing this delicious Pear Streusel Cake recipe with you today!! You all have LOVED my other streusel-style cake recipes I’ve posted in the past, like this Rhubarb Streusel Cake and this Peach Streusel Cake, so I just knew this Pear Streusel Cake would be a big hit for this fall and winter season! In case you’re as big a fan of streusel-anything as I am, I’ve also shared these Rhubarb Streusel Muffins, these Blueberry Streusel Muffins, and these Peach Cobbler Muffins too!
Like the look of this recipe? You’ll love this Chocolate Layer Cake or this Classic Carrot Cake!
There’s just something so special about a cake like this Pear Streusel Cake – we’ve been living in Europe for a number of years now and many Europeans have no time for traditional North American cakes made with mountains of frosting. That’s just not a thing here, and if I had a dollar for every time someone said “it’s too sweet!” after trying one of my North American-style cakes here, I’d be rich. But my baking style is slowly evolving and I’m embracing less sugary desserts like this cake that are just as rich and tender and delicious as anything from my home continent.
Pears are the perfect fruit for fall and winter, and this cake recipe is versatile enough that you can use fresh or canned pears! It’s such a simple dessert that you are going to LOVE!
NEVER MISS A POST! FOLLOW ME ON:
FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
I hope you love this Pear Streusel Cake as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite way to enjoy pears? I’d love to know!
Kitchen Products I recommend:
Looking for more recipes like this? You’ll LOVE these:
-
Rhubarb Streusel Cake
-
Best Ever Blueberry Ricotta Coffee Cake
-
Apple Crumble Muffins
-
Apple Carrot Ginger Muffins
-
Best Ever Banana Muffins
-
Strawberry Rhubarb Skillet Cobbler
Pear Streusel Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature (full fat is best)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter for greasing the cake pan
- 3-4 fresh pears, peeled and thinly sliced (alternatively, use an 850 ml large can of canned pears)
For the streusel topping:
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the butter and the sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them together until the mixture is fluffy and becomes a pale colour (about 4-5 minutes). It's important that the butter is at room temperature before you begin. This will allow it to integrate properly with the other wet ingredients.
- Feel free to use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl if you prefer.
- Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat them in on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. It's a good idea to scrape down the bowl periodically to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.
- Add the milk and sour cream and beat in these ingredients on low speed until they're combined.
- To a separate bowl add the flour, the baking powder and the salt and mix these ingredients together with a fork or a wire whisk. Once they're all incorporated, dump the flour mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer with the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and watch the batter come together. As soon as you see the batter form with streaks of flour throughout, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl.
- Over-mixing at this stage can cause an overly dense and dry cake with large air bubbles, which you definitely don't want. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl by hand and gently fold in the remaining flour. Be sure to stop folding as soon as everything is combined.
- Grease a 9x13 rectangular glass cake pan with some butter and pour the batter into the pan, using the spatula to push the batter into the corners and even out the surface. Don't worry, the batter will seem thick but it's supposed to be like that.
- Spread the sliced pears over the top of the batter.
- In a clean bowl mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon for the streusel topping. Add in the melted butter and mix everything together with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the cake and the pears, making sure to spread it at evenly as possible and into all the corners.
- Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 47-50 minutes. When it's finished baking the topping will be slightly browned on top and when you insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake it will come out clean.
- Try to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it...if you can wait that long!
Amanda says
Mmm this sounds like such a good flavor idea!!
Chrissie says
Thanks! It’s really delish!
Dorothy at Shockinglydelish says
You had me at streusel topping! I can’t wait to try the pear cake!!
Chrissie says
Thanks so much!
Lora | Savoring Italy says
I would love a piece of your pear streusel cake with my coffee right now!!
Chrissie says
It goes GREAT with coffee!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
This looks really amazing! I need to give this a try!
Chrissie says
Thanks! You’ll LOVE it!
Paula says
This sounds so delicious. Going to have to grab some pears!
Chrissie says
You’ll love it!
Anna says
This is one gorgeous cake! I wish I had a slice right now!
Chrissie says
Thanks so much!
Krista says
This looks great! I have to bake it up soon!
Chrissie says
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy!
Krysta says
This looks delicious! Have you ever put spices into the cake batter itself? Just wondering if it would overpower the pears? I’m a nut for extra spice in things haha!
Chrissie says
Yes, you absolutely could! I’m a purist when it comes to this cake recipe, and I do think it might overpower the pears as they are so mild in flavour.
Dorothy Reinhold says
I love pears!! I never think to bake with them. Can’t wait to try this!
Chrissie says
Thanks so much!
Sabrina says
This sounds absolutely amazing! I love pears and can’t wait for my first bite of this cake!
The Busy Baker says
Thank you!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
I would love a slice of this cake with my coffee! It looks faantastic!!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks!:)
Toni says
This is such an amazing holiday dessert!
Chrissie says
Thanks!
Catalina says
What a great idea for a little sweet tooth! Looks heavenly!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much!
Abeer says
I am always ready for a piece of cake! This one is divine!
Chrissie says
Thanks so much! Glad you loved it!
Allyson Zea says
Oh I have never heard of pear cake- looks delicious and so moist! YUM!
Chrissie says
Thanks!
Liz says
I feel like pears are definitely not used enough in desserts! Streusel cake is the perfect way to use them!
The Busy Baker says
Thank you!! Yes we also like the flavour and the crispiness of the pears in this streusel cake.
Kim says
We recently bought a farm with a very productive pear tree!! Cant say I’ve ever even eaten a pear, but mine are too beautiful to waste. I just made my first pear cake, it’s in the oven now!!!
Kim says
I’ll let you know very soon how it turned out….
Chrissie says
Hope you love it! 🙂
Stu says
Amazing!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks!
Nadine says
I have SO MANY pears from our pear tree this year! I made two of these, and they’re SO GOOD! I didn’t have sour cream, but I read that cottage cheese blended with a little lemon juice is a good substitute. I’m unsure how much of a difference it made, but my husband and I really enjoyed this cake, even with the alteration.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much for letting us know! Glad you liked them!!
Maddy Mabray says
Going in the oven right now! Super excited!! Hopefully, everything works out, and I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂
The Busy Baker says
Let me know how you liked it! 🙂
Andrea DeFelice says
Could you bake this in muffin tins so that it is easier to freeze? Thank you.
Chrissie says
Yes, you can. I’ve never done this so I can’t comment on baking time, but I’d suggest trying this recipe with pears instead of rhubarb: https://thebusybaker.ca/best-ever-rhubarb-streusel-muffins/
Amy Noel says
I just made this with gluten free flour blend and it turned out so yummy! Thanks for helping me not waste my pears!
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
The Busy Baker says
You’re welcome Amy!! Very glad it turned out so yummy!
Deb says
Made this today with the last of the ripe pears from my pear tree! Excellent recipe! Just the right amount of sweetness! The cake is moist and delicious! Will definitely make every fall!
The Busy Baker says
Thank you Deb!! Really glad to hear you like the recipe so much!🙂
Marie-Louise says
It is a great and easy recipe! I would recommend it to anyone. An absolute crowd pleaser.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much for your feedback Marie!!🙂
Monu says
It’s amazing!!!! Perfect sugar and very moist. Will definitely make it again. Enjoyed it so much with my coffee.
And can’t wait to try your some other recipes.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks so much Monu!!🙂