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Pear Cake

Pear Cake with brown sugar icing is a a delicious spice cake for fall. Loaded with warm spices, fresh pears and crunchy walnuts and the sweet brown sugar icing makes it something special to serve for holiday parties or family gatherings. 

This spiced pear cake is a version of my mom’s Fresh Apple Cake which is one of our all time favorite desserts. This cake is great to bake and share or to make for company.

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slice of pear cake on a saucer

Pear Cake with Brown Sugar Icing ~ Easy Fall Dessert

This easy spice cake is so simple to make from scratch. It is filled with juicy pears and warm ginger and cinnamon spices. It can even be made in advance for special occasions. 

ingredients for pear cake with brown sugar icing

Ingredients Needed:

  • Fresh Pears
  • Walnuts
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking Soda
  • Ground Ginger
  • Ground Cinnamon
  • Kosher Salt

For the Icing:

  • Brown Sugar
  • Butter
  • Heavy Cream
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Toasted Walnuts

pear cake with toasted walnuts

How to Make Pear Cake:

bowl of chopped pears, on a cutting board with chopped pecans

  • Peel, core and chop apples into bite-sized pieces.
  • Coarsely chop the walnuts.

collage making pear cake

  • In a large bowl, add vegetable oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
  • Mix with a wooden spoon.
  • Add apples and walnuts, mix well. 
  • Add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
  • Stir until combined. 

pear cake in a 9 x 13 pan ready to bake

  • Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. 

baked pear cake - overhead in pan

  • Bake for 50 minutes to one hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Place 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts onto a baking sheet and place in the warm oven, with the oven turned off. Toast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 

making brown sugar icing collage

  • Meanwhile, make the icing.
  • In a heavy saucepan, add brown sugar, butter and heavy cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat.
  • Pour into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool about 10 minutes.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla. 

brown sugar icing in a bowl with a spatula

  • Mix until well combined. Set aside until cake has cooled. 

brown sugar icing over pear cake

  • Spread icing over cooled cake.

par cake with brown sugar icing and walnuts

  • Top with toasted walnuts. 

How to Store Pear Cake:

Store cooled cake at room temperature covered with plastic wrap up to 3 days. 

Cake can be refrigerated up to 5 days. 

How to Freeze Pear Cake:

If you would like to freeze pear cake, do not ice the cake. Wrap cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil or place in a freezer bag up to 3 months. 

pear cake slice on a saucer, fresh pear and cake pan in background

More Homemade Cake Recipes You Will Love:

slice of cake on a spatula

Pear spice cake with walnuts is an easy dessert to make for any day of the week and delicious enough to serve for the holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. The warm flavors and sweet brown sugar icing is sure to be a crowd favorite. 

IF YOU LOVE THIS  RECIPE AS MUCH AS I DO, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND A FIVE STAR REVIEW, AND BE SURE TO HELP ME SHARE ON PINTEREST!

Pear Cake with brown sugar icing with walnuts - slice on a plate
Print Recipe
4.67 from 6 votes

Pear Cake with Brown Sugar Icing

Pear Cake with brown sugar icing is a a delicious spice cake for fall. Loaded with warm spices, fresh pears and crunchy walnuts and the sweet brown sugar icing makes it something special to serve for holiday parties or family gatherings. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fall dessert, fresh pear cake, homemade pear cake, pear and walnut cake, spiced pear cake
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 563kcal
Author: Milisa

Ingredients

  • 3 cups diced pears
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup diced walnuts
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • non-stick cooking spray

For the Icing

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Peel, core and chop apples into bite-sized pieces.
  • Coarsely chop the walnuts.
  • In a large bowl, add vegetable oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix with a wooden spoon.
  • Mix in apples and walnuts.
  • Add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt, stirring until combined.
  • Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non stick baking spray. Pour cake batter into pan, spreading evenly.
  • Bake for 50 minutes to one hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Place 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts onto a baking sheet and place in the warm oven, with the oven turned off. Toast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
  • Make the icing. In a heavy saucepan, add brown sugar, butter and heavy cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat.
  • Pour into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool about 10 minutes.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla. 
  • Mix until well combined. Set aside until cake has cooled. 
  • Spread icing over cooled cake.
  • Top with toasted walnuts. 

Notes

How to Store Pear Cake:

Store cooled cake at room temperature covered with plastic wrap up to 3 days. Cake can be refrigerated up to 5 days. 

How to Freeze Pear Cake:

If you would like to freeze pear cake, do not ice the cake. Wrap cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil or place in a freezer bag up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 289mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g

4 Comments

  1. Color me stupid 🤗, however, I have been thru this post several times and I can’t find the actual recipe, with the ingredient amounts. You have listed then ingredients, but no amounts. What have I missed?

    1. The recipe card is at the bottom of the post. You can use the “jump to recipe” button at the very top of the post that will take you right to the recipe card that you can print.

    1. Hi Krista,
      It is 2 cups of sugar in the cake batter. I have updated the recipe card, thanks for letting me know it was missing. I hope you enjoy the cake as much as we do.

      ~ Milisa

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