Almost eleven years old, this recipe is lacking a good photo, but there is a closeup of it. Not sure what I was going for, but I can confirm that it is a moist and delicious cake. Maybe I need to make it again AND remember to take a new photo!
The original post from December 2013
The other weekend we were expecting an overnight snowstorm. As we weren’t sure how much snow we would get, we decided to be stocked and ready for a Sunday spent indoors. To end our snowy day we would enjoy a freshly baked dessert, pear cake.
Cake is one of my favorite desserts. I love the tenderness of the cake and the sweetness of the frosting, as do our kids. My husband, however, isn’t as big of a fan of frosting. (Apparently he’s missing a gene or something. . .) I’ve found that I can meet both of our needs by making a loaf-shaped cake.
The beauty of the loaf cake is many. First, it is smaller, so we don’t have tons of leftovers. Second, I can add just a light layer of frosting to the top of the cake and leave frosting off the sides for a portion of the cake, which is perfect for my husband. For those of us who enjoy frosting I place frosting on the sides and can slice the individual pieces in half and add a middle layer of frosting, which equals happiness for the kids and me.
This cake was quite moist. Using diced pear gave nice bites of fruit throughout the cake. I added chopped pecan because a little bit of crunch is a good thing, at least in our house. Top it with one of these two versions of mascarpone frosting, and it’s time to eat!
- 2 cups pear, peeled & chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Combine pears, pecans, and sugar in a small bowl. Allow to sit for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Coat 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir well.
- Add oil, egg, and vanilla, mixing until blended.
- Add pear mixture, stirring to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan.
- Cool completely before frosting.
