Pear Cake with Maple & Pecans

So this pear cake is the culmination of a banana bread recipe mixed with fall maple pecan flavors. The recipe was adapted from our banana pecan bread, another delightful recipe that you must try! We love maple and pecan flavors, just like this maple brown sugar oatmeal.

There's something about the pears in this that just add a lovely texture as well as moisture to the cake, because there's nothing worse than a dried out piece of pear cake (or any cake for that matter)! If you're interested in a more decadent cake, give our tiramisu cake a go!

To make this cake even more delectable, we drizzle it with a tahini maple glaze. It’s so simple to make and adds another delicious dimension to the cake. This one should be on your favourites list along with our almond plum cake.

We know you'll love this maple pecan pear cake so don't forget to leave us a comment and rate the recipe card below. Use the following links to get exactly where you need to.

You need this pear cake in your life and these are the reasons you need to get in the kitchen today:

One bowl - this recipe only really uses one bowl for mixing everything together, making for less washing up! It's even quicker in a stand mixer.

Pecan crumb - just like our banana pecan bread this recipe uses ground pecans to give the cake a great texture and flavor.

Flavor - the maple pecan notes of this pear cake are so enticing during the cooler months. A great snack for cosy days.

Moist - using pears in two ways, we create a super moist pear cake that is totally moreish.

Seasonal - use seasonal pears and spices to give you all those fall and winter seasonal feelings.

Canned pears - these have the perfect texture and moisture content for this cake and there's no faffing around with poaching fresh pears!

Blush pear - we like to add some sliced fresh pears on top before baking to make the cake extra pretty. We like to use firm blush pears as they're super pretty, but any ripe but firm pears will do!

Pecans - we use raw whole pecans for this recipe, which get roasted. Half are ground finely and half are roughly chopped, adding to the lovely nutty texture. We’re also sprinkling some on top for decoration.

Pure maple syrup – for that irresistible flavor. We use grade A amber, but you could use a darker maple syrup for more intensity.

Spices - ground cinnamon and nutmeg add a perfect warmth to this cake.

We know you love to customize and mix it up when it comes to recipes so here are some suggestions:

Spices - make a ginger and pear cake by adding ground ginger or some chopped up crystallized ginger into the pear cake mix. Ginger goes perfectly with pear!

Walnuts - you can switch out the pecan nuts for walnuts or hazelnuts instead if you prefer.

Gluten free - switch out the all purpose flour for a gluten free all purpose flour, we haven't tested this yet. If you do try this let us know in the comments.

Follow these expert tips to ensure you have success every time with baking this pear cake:

Baking time - the pear cake will bake in about 40-50 minutes. You want your cake tester or toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake to come out clean. If it’s not ready, return to the oven and check in 5 minute intervals. 

Canned pears - one can of pears, drained, should give you 1 cup of mashed pear. Coarsely mash for pear flecks throughout the cake.

Fold - when combining dry and wet ingredients fold until just combined and then fold in the chopped pecans. You don't want a tough cake, so be gentle.

Raising agents - ensure your raising agents are fresh and not out of date, we use these instead of self raising flour as the flour doesn't age well and can lose its lift over time.

Glaze - be sure to glaze the pear cake when fully cool, otherwise you'll melt the glaze and it'll be too thin.

To ensure you get a nice and light fluffy pear cake ensure you follow these recommendations:

Whip - make sure you whip together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Aeration of the butter helps create a lighter crumb for the pear cake.

Sift - sift your flour, this separates the flour and leads to a lighter cake.

Don’t over mix - this is the most common mistake made. If the cake mix is over mixed, the gluten will develop and this makes a tighter dense structure to the crumb.

Raising agents - use raising agents instead of self raising flour as this gives predictable, controllable results. Self raising flour doesn’t age very well if you don’t bake often! And be sure to check that your baking powder or baking soda aren’t out of date.