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slice of pear cake on a serving dish with a serving of pear compote on the side

Spiced Pear Bundt Cake

This Spiced Pear Bundt Cake is a moist, tender dessert infused with ripe pears and the cozy warmth of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Easy to make and beautifully aromatic, it’s perfect for brunches, casual get-togethers, or enjoying with a cup of tea.
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Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 336 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Cake Batter

  • 3 cups All-purpose flour sifted
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1½ teaspoons Ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Ground cloves
  • ¾ cup Granulated sugar
  • ½ cup Brown sugar light or dark
  • ⅔ cup Unsalted butter Softened
  • 5 large Eggs Room temperature
  • ¾ cup Sour cream Room temperature (may substitute with Greek yogurt)
  • ¾ cup Buttermilk
  • ¼ cup Vegetable oil

Pear Filling

  • 4 Medium Pears Peeled, cored and chopped into ¼ cubes
  • ¼ Cup Brown sugar light or dark
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice approximately 1 medium lemon

Instructions
 

Pear Filling (macerated pears)

  • Don’t skip the this step—it’s essential for drawing out excess moisture from the pears and helps prevent a soggy cake.
  • Peel, core and chop pears into ¼" cubes. Place in a bowl
    4 Medium Pears
  • Sprinkle lemon juice, ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon over the pears. Toss to combine.
    ¼ Cup Brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
  • Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it sit for 1 hour. This step is called macerating — it helps pull out some of the extra juice from the pears so the cake doesn’t get soggy.
  • After an hour, pour the pears into a sieve to drain. Discard the excess juices. Set aside for later.

Cake Batter

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃)
  • Prepare a 12-cup Bundt cake pan by spraying generously with baking spray. Alternatively, combine ¼ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup flour and ¼ vegetable shortening. Using a pastry brush, apply generously to the Bundt cake pan.
  • In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside. (note: sift flour if necessary to remove any lumps)
    3 cups All-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1½ teaspoons Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ground ginger, ½ teaspoon Ground cloves
  • In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, sour cream and oil. Set aside.
    5 large Eggs, ¾ cup Sour cream, ¾ cup Buttermilk, ¼ cup Vegetable oil
  • Place butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl. Using a handheld or stand mixer, mix the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes)
    ¾ cup Granulated sugar, ⅔ cup Unsalted butter, ½ cup Brown sugar
  • Add ½ of the flour mixture and ½ of the buttermilk mixture to the bowl with the butter and sugars. Mix together until just combined, scraping sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
  • Add the remaining flour and buttermilk mixtures. Mix until just combined, scraping sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
  • Add macerated pears to the mixing bowl. Stir gently until pears are well distributed through the cake batter.
  • Add the batter to the prepared baking pan. Gently smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
  • Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You may also check for doneness using an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature of the cake should be 180℉ (83℃). Note: if the cake top begins to turn too dark, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the cake and continue baking until done.
  • Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes then flip the cake over onto a cooling rack. Remove cake pan and allow to cool for another hour. After cooling, move cake onto a serving platter.

Video

Notes

  • Store the cake at room temperature wrapped in foil or plastic for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the pear Bundt cake well and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature (approximately 2 hours).
  • Don’t skip the pear maceration step—it’s essential for drawing out excess moisture from the pears and helps prevent a soggy cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 195mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 418IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 2mg
Keyword bundt cake, Spiced Bundt cake
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