If it happens to me, I know it must happen to you too. You’re sitting there minding your own business when all of a sudden you are hit with an overwhelming feeling.
Must. Have. Cake. Now.
Are you familiar with this phenomenon? The sudden urge to bake something moist and delicious? And then shovel a big slice down the hatch? Oh, ahem. How unladylike of me. Let me rephrase. Delicately take small bites with your pinkie in the air.
In my region, we were hit with some unexpected rain over the weekend. It must have been that smell of the first rain mixed together with the wind blowing the first leaves from the trees that caused something to click inside of me. I just had to make my oh-so-autumn Spiced Pear Cake. And I had to make it now.
I take some of these pretty little Bartletts and transform them into the most moist and delicious flavor of fall.
My spiced pear cake has a little of everything. A glazed fruit topping, a down home ingredient like molasses, and the spices often found in the best fall comfort food. What’s my secret ingredient to guarantee a moist cake?
Applesauce.
Want the recipe?
Well then get yourself a bundle of these ripe n’ ready to be baked Bartlett pears.
Then hurry on down to your local grocery store for these ingredients.
Autumn Spiced Pear Cake
For topping:
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled & sliced thin
For cake:
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 rounded tsp ginger*
1 rounded tsp cinnamon*
1/2 tsp allspice*
1/2 tsp nutmeg*
*or substitute 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup half & half (or milk)
1/3 cup applesauce
1 peeled & thinly diced Bartlett pear
Prepping the glazed fruit topping:
Lightly butter or use cooking spray to grease your 9 inch cheesecake pan. If yours has a dimpled bottom like mine, you can add one or two pieces of parchment paper to the bottom to avoid a dimpled pear top. Make thin slices with your 1/4 cup of cold butter, and layer on the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1 tbsp brown sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon.
Layer with thin slices from 2 Bartlett pears.
For the cake:
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in bowl. In second bowl, mix 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, applesauce, and half & half in that order. Mix flour mixture in thirds into moist egg & sugar mixture with hand mixer until blended. Once blended, add diced pear and gently fold in with spatula. Pour cake mixture over layered pears in cheesecake pan.
Bake at 350° in regular oven for first 20 minutes, then lower to 325° for 35 more minutes (total 55 minutes). It should be done, continue to check every 5 minutes until pierced knife comes out clean. Baking tip: A cheesecake pan with a removable side can leak some of the butter from the topping. Place a cookie sheet on the rack underneath your cake pan to catch any drippings and avoid having to clean your oven.
Allow cake to cool for 30 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and turn upside down onto cake plate. Peel off parchment paper.
You’ll love this glazed pear upside-down style spiced cake for its delicate and delicious soft pear topping, and for its flavorful center. It will remind you of fall, with its amazing combination of allspice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
I can only keep mine on a cake plate for about 24 hours, because it just disappears so quickly.
You can sift with confectioner’s sugar. Or serve it up with vanilla ice cream. I like to dollop fresh whipping cream on top.
I make spiced cider for my kids, and tea for me, and we sit around in the afternoon eating our slice and reading some books.
And then the rain doesn’t bother us at all.
.
That looks super yummy! Perfect for autumn~
Plus the applesauce keeps it a little more on the healthy side:)
Oh my goodness, that looks INCREDIBLE! And I know what you mean – I have those cake-related urges all the time. Probably a bit more than I should, which explains the waistline, but hey ho! When cakes are this yummy looking how can anyone resist?! I’m going to make this as soon as I figure out an applesauce substitute as I’m not sure we have it in the UK… Thank you so much!
Soounds Heavenly! Too bad I’m on a diet. Fall & winter are the hardest time for me to diet, because that is when I want comfort foods like this!!
I bet you could also substitute the pears for apples!
I love this post! Can totally relate to MUST EAT CAKE NOW! But unfortunately I must usually eat much more than one piece! Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Mmmm, this sounds and looks delicious…..and I am sure it smells even better. Perfect for this time of year. I will be giving this one a try. Thanks!
That sounds delicious! thanks for the recipe… my family will soon be addicted to it Im sure :)
Delish! I like this recipe b/c it doesn’t call for any ingredients that I might have a hard time finding. It looks like the perfect Fall recipe. :) Thanks for sharing it with us.
Uhhh…YUM!! This looks super easy, I will have to try it for sure. :)
Oh! I ‘m 5 lbs fatter just from looking at it! YUM!
m ^..^
Mmmmmmm…..sounds amazing! Interestingly, I was hit with the must. have. cake. now. bug this weekend too. Although, my bug ended in chocolate chip cookies at 9:00 on Saturday night. I’ll definitely be picking up some pears and applesauce to try this recipe soon! Thanks! (And, I must say, it’s only September, but my gingerbread cravings are already starting!)
I think I just gained a few pounds reading this. I am definitely going to have to try this. I love spice cake and this has many of the same ingredients. Might just have to give this a go this weekend.
Wow, yes. I FREQUENTLY become afflicted with a deep need for cake!
Oh my. Yummy! I love pears. After this apple pie I’m baking (as I type) is all gone. Well that should take about 7 minutes, maybe I will try this. ;)
XO*Tricia
Oh my goodness that looks absolutely scrumptious! I love pears!!! I really want to make this! Thanks for sharing!
looks sooooo delish! i love pears too!
Wow, is there anything you aren’t good at? I want to try this cake right now! Thank you for your comment on my blog, I took your advice and things look a lot better now.
I also have those urges, but mine can only be satisfied by chocolate cake! :) However, your mouthwatering photos may make me change my mind.
I’m QUITE familiar with that phenomenon – I believe it’s happening to me right now! Haha!
That looks divine and I will absolutely be trying it.
Ooo…I have copied this one. I cook often, but I don’t have a pear cake recipe, so I can’t wait to try this one. My husband will love it! Thanks.
Sue
YUM. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks so much for sharing! I can’t wait to try it!
:)
I’m afraid that happens much more often than I’d like to admit… And your post just made me crave cake, too! Looks delish. :-)
This looks delicious! I think I will try it this weekend. Thank You for sharing!!!!
I just finished mixing the ingredients – it is in the oven RIGHT NOW. Husband LOVES pears. What a treat when he gets home from work. Thanks for the recipe and great photos.
~MMW
Yes, I’m definately making this cake for company this weekend…
Thanks –
Marsha
My great-grand mother used to make a pear cake to use up the pears from the tree in her yard. It was the most wonderful thing. In fact she made it the last time I saw her before she passed away. What a great memory, thanks.
Amanda
For some reason this post really struck me and I must have been in a certain mood because I made this cake tonight after work. It was DIVINE and my whole family asked me what the special occasion was. I loved it and have decided that this is going to be the “non pie” dessert option at our Thanksgiving dinner this year….it just has that taste about it. I served it warm with vanilla ice cream and it was to die for. Thanks!
That looks so yummy! Yes, that must have cake happens to me too but I usually buy something instead of baking it. I have to try this though! Thanks
Wow, that looks REALLY yummy. I always crave a certain pumpkin cake when the air becomes crisp. Next time I’ll try this! Thanks for sharing.
That looks wonderful! My favorite thing about fall is definitely all the baking!
MMMMMMM I read this post yesterday morning and as soon as I finished work I had to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients to make it. It turned out delightfully. It was amazing. I had a question though…in the recipe you say bake for 1 hour, 35 minutes…was that 1 hour for a regular oven and 35 min for the convection? (sorry if that’s a stupid question but I checked mine after a little over an hour and it was done).
This week is “no grocery shopping week” at my house…BUT…we ARE having the neighbors over tomorrow and that DOES look about as delicious as they come…so I MAY have to break the rule and buy two bartlett pears (I think I have the rest)…does it count as breaking the rule if I HAPPEN to be at Costco for non-food items and I happen to have some pears fall in my cart…I’m just saying! Seriously, it’s almost midnight and my tummy is growling…..YUMMY!
This was delicious and a hit for my entertaining dinner last night. A little dry because I cooked it 8 min. longer becasue the middle seemed to be caving in although it tested done at 60 min. Thank you for the cookie sheet hint – the butter did melt. But everyone liked it and it was pretty. Thank you for the recipe. Fall and Fall foods are my favorites.
OMG That looks sooooooooooo good!!!!!!! I need ur camera babe!!!!! Like Seriously!