This French-style pear cake is a wonderful combination of tender-crumb cake and juicy chunks of pear. It's easy to make and perfect just as it is for a snack or dressed up for dessert.
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We do definitely love apples in our house and get through a lot of them, but I still think pears might be my favorite fall fruit. Maybe it's partly that they are a bit more temperamental and it's worth waiting until they are in season locally, but there is something special about a good, just-ripe pear.
Cooking with pears
Much as I enjoy raw pears, I also find pears are really nice to cook with. The two most classic methods are poaching or nestled in a batter, whether cake or otherwise.
Both methods really bring out the pear's natural sweetness and flavor, like in my pear clafoutis. We I've also tried pre-roasting pears for my roasted pear and fig scones which was really tasty too.
French cuisine seems to share my appreciation of pears since they appear in a few classic dishes. Many French recipes combine poaching and baking, having you poach the pears in a syrup first.
I can understand that this helps enhance their sweetness and makes for a softer texture, but if you dice the pears as here, it doesn't really feel necessary. As a result, this cake is a lot less fuss to prepare, but the result is still most definitely delicious.
This cake was an instant favorite in our house. I don't bake larger cakes too often as we sometimes struggle to get through them unless we know we have visitors to help. Some friends helped us with this and it was quickly and happily enjoyed by all.
It's sweet, but not overly so (I have reduced the sugar from traditional recipes as I'm less of a sweet tooth but it's certainly still sweet enough). It has a lovely light texture and the juicy little chunks of pear are an extra treat as you eat it, too.
Tips for making this cake
This cake is pretty easy to make but there are a couple things to keep in mind to help it be a success.
You start by creaming the eggs and sugar together, then add the butter. This might seem a bit unusual - you often cream butter and sugar together first - but the reason is this way you get a bit of air into the mixture as the eggs and sugar combine and the sugar starts to dissolve.
So take a few minutes to get the mixture glossy, but also don't beat heavily (you're not making a meringue).
For baking, you are best to use ripe but still gently firm pears. Very ripe pears will tend to fall apart and bruise easily. Under-ripe won't have as good a flavor, so just ripe is the best fit. I feel like I'm writing about Goldilocks saying that, but hopefully you know what I mean!
Use a teaspoon or melon baller to help get the core out. Pear flesh is relatively soft, so this is a great easy way to remove the bit you don't want to eat.
In terms of the additional liquid, some recipes use milk and others use sour cream. I've gone with crème fraîche as this is a French cake after all. And the smooth texture and slightly sour flavor works well.
Don't skip the sugar on top! I know you might think the cake is sweet enough already, but the sugar on top gives a lovely little crust once it bakes. And it's really nice as you take a bite.
This French pear cake is a wonderful combination of soft, tender cake and juicy chunks of pear. It's easy to make and the result feels more fancy than the effort involved. There's no need to tell, just let everyone enjoy, as they will!
Try these other tasty cakes:
- French lemon yogurt cake (a classic French cake, that's also light and delicious)
- German plum cake (more of a bar, in some ways, but incredibly tasty)
- Kladdkaka (Swedish sticky chocolate cake - similar to a fudgy brownie)
- Austrian apricot cake (a super simple sponge with apricots nestled on top)
- Sour cream mocha cake (great with a cup of coffee)
- Plus get more dessert recipes in the archives.
I'd recommend using a springform cake tin for this such as this one to make this easy to remove from the pan.
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
French pear cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour plain flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 pears (ripe but not overripe)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoon sugar (to top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line an 8in/20cm springform round cake tin.
- In a small-medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Peel and core the pears. Cut them into a relatively small dice, around ½ - ⅔in (1 ¼-1 ¾cm). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and ½ cup sugar until the mixture is relatively glossy and the sugar is starting to dissolve. Add the butter in a steady stream while whisking it in at the same time. Add the creme fraiche and mix this in as well.
- Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until combined but try not to over-mix. Fold in the pears carefully so that they are mixed through but you don't break them up.
- Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and spread the mixture to the edges with a spatula and flatten out the top. Sprinkle on the 2 tablespoon sugar then bake for approximately 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is a gentle golden brown color.
- Leave to cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before loosening around the edges to remove from the cake tin. Works well both served warm or at room temperature, as it is or with cream/creme fraiche on the side.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Radha says
The best french pear cake ever, light, airy,fluffy and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Caroline says
So glad you enjoyed it! It's one I really love, too.
Phoebe Fernan says
Love this cake, so tender and not too sweet. The sugar baked on top is amazing. My picky grandson loves it.
Caroline says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed and it won him over!
Liz says
So good! I have a 9 inch pan and baked 27 minutes in convection oven. I have a bunch of pears, so will be making a couple more for friends.
Caroline says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Corrine says
This cake is just divine! Light fluffy slightly sweet with the hits of pear and crunchy crust from the sugar is perfect. I did combine the dry ingredients and then did sift the dry ingredients into the wet before folding them in gently. Best cake I have ever baked full stop. Did not have sour cream or creme fraiche on hand so I used 3 tablespoons of buttermilk. For me this is perfect as is and I would not change a thing or add any spices .. I may consider a little vanilla paste but it is so perfect just the way it is so maybe not lol. I did place the pears in a water lemon bath after peeling and chopping to keep them from browning and then drained them VERY well before adding. I took the tip from the other reviewer to add the batter then the pears then top with the last half of the batter as my pears were very ripe as well.
Caroline says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it - it's definitely one of my favorite cakes, such a great texture and I'm a big pear fan, too.
ofi davis says
I made this cake the first time in an attempt to impress a French colleague -- and she raved about it, not only likening it to cakes she'd had in her time in France but claiming it was even BETTER than what she'd had there! I am returning to the recipe now to make it for Christmas dinner with my family, and I am certain it will be a showstopper 🙂 This time, I added a bit of a speculoos spice blend packet I got in an advent calendar my wife got for me, and some vanilla bean paste to up the sweetness -- but that is totally optional, the cake is gorgeous without. Typically, I use two Bartlett pears and a 9 inch springform pan, and I do 1.5x the recipe. Additionally, I make it dairy-free for my lactose-intolerant family members by subbing store-bought vegan butter 1 for 1 and using **full fat** oat milk (full fat is very important!) for the creme fraiche. Thank you so much, Caroline, for this incredible dessert and the memories that come alongside it 🙂
Caroline says
Oh that's so lovely to hear that it went down so well! And glad to hear the dairy-free substitutions worked well, too.
Anne says
Can I use self rising flour, and use a loaf pan? Thank you! Recipe looks wonderful!
Caroline says
Yes, it should work to swap in self rising flour in place of the plain flour, baking powder and salt, though I would maybe check roughly the formula of your flour as while that's about the same as a typical mix, they can vary one country to another a little. Yes, it should also be fine baked in a medium to large loaf pan as well, just note it will be thicker and so may need a little longer to cook, but I would test every few minutes towards the end to see how it is doing. Enjoy!
Anne says
Thank you for your quick response, making this cake now!
Glenn M says
Instead of creme fraiche I used 18% coffee cream and added cinnamon and vanilla to the batter
It was a big hit even for cookedpear sceptics 10/10 🙏🏻
Caroline says
So glad to hear it went down well (including with the sceptics!)
Vee Weller says
I'm really delighted to find this WONDERFUL recipe, and it's written with heart. Clear instructions and helpful tips. I'm making it today and looking forward to sharing it at a birthday party for an 82 year old friend!
Caroline says
Thank you, so glad it has been helpful for you, and hope your friend enjoys!
Jan says
Followed the recipe and turn out great. Thank you
Caroline says
So glad to hear!
Isobel Jackson says
I followed the recipe exactly and a perfect light fluffy pear cake was the result. Thank you!
Caroline says
That's so great to hear, glad you enjoyed!
Joanna Gajdosz says
I used a ton of pears (I have a pear tree) and it still came out amazing ! So good my mom asked for the recipe. Super moist and delicious. I would recommend adding a little vanilla bean paste. Super easy . I also made it a second time and added a few raspberries in the mix. Very delicious. A must try !!! Adding it to my recipes
Caroline says
That's great to hear! I can definitely see vanilla paste working well, though also good without.
Natalie says
This recipe is delicious! Even my picky 13 year old loved it! I will take some other’s advice and try other fruits with the cake recipe…yummm!!
Caroline says
So glad to hear you all enjoyed it! Indeed the base cake does work with some other fruits, too, so it's worth experimenting to see what else you enjoy.
Anne says
Had canned pears in the pantry, so I made this delicious cake using those, I also added some walnuts and ginger. It's so moist and full of flavour. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Caroline says
So glad you enjoyed, and yes I love ginger with pear so can see that working well as an addition.