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Spiced Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze

Spiced Pear Cake with a Creamy Caramel GlazeMost of the pears we picked have finally been canned, ready to enjoy another day, but I have enough left to play with. Now, I'm doing things like making Spiced Pear Cake . . . and what is a Spiced Pear Cake without a rich and creamy caramel glaze? So I had to do that too, of course.

I realized as I was baking this delicious cake that I don't make cake very often. It's not the difficulty of making a cake that keeps me from doing it, because a cake like this really is simple. I think it's more that cakes seem like they belong to special occasions. And yet, we enjoyed this cake for no good reason on a Saturday afternoon and it was splendid. The cake was the occasion.

Spiced Pear Cake with a Creamy Caramel GlazeMy girls were in love with the idea right away - an unexpected afternoon cake party, oh yes! Esme and Eila peeled and diced the pears while Adelaide and I whisked together the other ingredients. While the caked baked, and sent its spicy autumn aroma through every room of the house, Esme said it felt like a holiday. For the rest of the day, I couldn't help but smile when I realized how a simple cake had turned an ordinary weekend afternoon into something special and perhaps even memorable.

Maybe the girls will someday see these photos, years from now, and the memory of an afternoon spent together in the kitchen will come rushing back - the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg, the sweet taste of fingers dipped in caramel, the sticky pear juice on their hands. A cake holiday, enjoyed all together. 

Spiced Pear Cake with a Creamy Caramel GlazeIf you're having any reservations about trading in Summer for Fall, this Spiced Pear Cake will get you off the fence. If you need further encouragement to get into the kitchen, I can also say this pear cake can turn an otherwise uneventful afternoon into a delicious holiday of sorts.

The cake is rich and moist, thanks to the addition of Greek yogurt. The spices taste like Autumn and combine perfectly with the tender morsels of pear in every bite. Pour that caramel glaze over the top and you have a truly decadent dessert.

Yield: 12

Spiced Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze

Spiced Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • ¼ cup ground cocoa powder
  • 1 cup of unsalted butter (8 oz), room temperature
  • 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 3 to 4 medium pears, peeled, cored, and diced

For the Caramel Glaze

  • ¾ cup butter
  • 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9 to 10 inch nonstick Bundt pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and cocoa.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at a medium speed using an electric mixer or standing mixer with paddle attachment. When butter mixture is light and fluffy, after about 3 minutes, add in the eggs, beating after the addition of each egg. Beat in the vanilla and yogurt. Turn the speed to low, and add the flour mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in the pears. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth batter with a spatula.
  4. Bake directly on the middle oven rack for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan, then cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare the Glaze:

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the sugar, water, and salt. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, let the mixture boil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it begins to look glassy and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and vanilla. Let cool slightly - glaze will thicken as it cools. Pour over the entire cake and/or individual slices.
© Some the Wiser

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  1. This cake is gorgeous! Loving that glaze!

    Reply

    • Thanks Katrina! The kids can't decide which is better, the cake or the glaze.

      Reply

  2. I'd love to dip my fingers in that caramel sauce. Making a cake for no reason reminds me of my grandma, she would always have a baked good and mostly cakes around for their family of 9!

    Reply

    • I was just telling someone yesterday that I think making cakes used to be something that people did more often. My grandma is the same way - there doesn't have to be any occasion to necessitate a cake. More cakes I say!

      Reply

  3. Mmmm.. this looks so good. Can't wait to have my kitchen and oven back to make this. I think a cake holiday during school break next week is in order.

    Reply

    • We have a school holiday coming up too and with the weather cooling off I'm sure we'll be doing a lot of baking too. Hope you get back into the kitchen soon! Enjoy!

      Reply

  4. I am ohh-ing over this cake tonight! Looks like the perfect dessert for our Sunday dinners.

    Reply

  5. Lovely, lovely cake.
    Baking is a great way to spend quality time with children, don't you think?
    Thanks for sharing 🙂
    Kimberly

    Reply

  6. Goodness, that looks AMAZING!!

    Reply

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