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Honey Pear Cake (Easy and Delicious)

Honey pear cake is such an easy and delicious bake you can serve for breakfast, afternoon snack or even dessert. Perfect when served plain, or with freshly whipped cream, custard or ice cream!

Honey pear cake getting sprinkled with sugar

Don’t just think about making this honey pear cake, absolutely do it.

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It’s the kind of recipe you know you’ll be baking over and over again when you try it the first time.

honey pear cake overhead

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, a week ago or so, I posted a #bigfatfail video of the first time I made this recipe. I had it in my recipe folder, cut out from a British magazine over 30 years ago, but I had still never tried it! Since I had some pears, I thought I’d try it, and asked my mother to bake it while I did some other work. Well, this was the result; it was a disaster!

collapsed cake

All the pear slices sunk to the depths of the pan, AND I’ve never seen a cake sink and collapse in the center the way this one did; we could have filled it like a pavlova! However, the flavor was fantastic, and my dad even said not to change a thing (he loved it, sunken and all!), so I wasn’t giving up on the recipe. I’m glad I didn’t!

slice of honey pear cake with cream

Love pears? Try this 3 ingredient poached pear recipe, too.

poached pears in wine

Mum and I decided there were some things about the recipe that could have caused the failure, so earlier this week, we tried again.

pear cake with honey

I am happy to report that the honey pear cake came out brilliantly! As you can see from the photos, the pears stayed on top and the center did not collapse.

pear cake with warm honey and brush

When it’s fig season, you can make this delicious fig cake!

overhead photo of fig cake

Can you Freeze Honey Pear Cake?

You can freeze honey pear cake, however, I would dissuade you from doing so. It’s so much better fresh. However, if you are going to freeze it, save the honey and second sprinkle of Demerara sugar for afterwards.

slice of honey pear cake with cream

The honey pear cake isn’t overly sweet, and crumb is light and tender. The pear cooks perfectly on top, and then it’s brushed with warm honey and sprinkled with Demerara sugar which adds the lightest crunch.

Want an even easier pear cake recipe? 

pear cake slice on a knife

It’s fantastic! I hope you try it while pears are season because you won’t regret it.

brushing honey on the pear cake

Honey Pear Cake

inspired by cake recipe I cut from a magazine                       serves 8

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

  • flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • unsalted butter
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla
  • pears
  • Demerara sugar
  • honey

Directions

Grease and flour an 8″ round springform pan

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)

Prepare the Cake Batter

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

creamed butter and sugar

In another large bowl (or stand mixer) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

adding an egg to the sugar and butter mixture

Add an egg and mix in. Then about a third of the flour mixture and blend well, continue with the other two eggs and rest of the flour and the vanilla.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

Prepare the Pears

peeling and cutting pears

Peel, core and cut the pears into wedges (about 12 slices from each pear).

Assemble the Honey Pear Cake

adding pears to top of cake

Arrange the pear slices on top of the cake.

cake with pear slices on top

Depending on the size of the pear, you may not use all of the slices.

sprinkling Demerara sugar on top of pears

Sprinkle the Demerara sugar on top of the cake (this is one tablespoonful of sugar, although it may look like much more).

cake ready for the oven

Bake the Cake

Place the cake pan into the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the cake is risen, golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the from the pan.

cake out of the oven

Finish the Honey Pear Cake

brushing honey on the pear cake

Warm the honey slightly, then brush over the top of the entire cake.

Finally, sprinkle with another tablespoonful of Demerara sugar (or less). That’s it, you have just made a delicious cake!

pear cake with honey and sugar

Serve the Honey Pear Cake

slice of honey pear cake with cream

Slice and serve on its own, or with cream or even custard!

Who doesn’t love a classic pineapple upside down cake, too?

pineapple upside down cake

Honey pear cake getting sprinkled with sugar

Honey Pear Cake (Easy and Delicious)

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
A light and delicious pear cake that's coated in honey and sprinkled with Demerara sugar.
4.9 from 26 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 c flour all purpose/plain
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ¾ c butter good quality
  • ¾ c sugar
  • 3 eggs organic
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 medium ripe (but not too soft) pears (about 170 g each)
  • 2 Tbsp Demerara sugar divided
  • 2 Tbsp honey good quality

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
  • Grease and flour an 8" round springform pan

Prepare the Cake Batter

  • Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  • In another large bowl (or stand mixer) cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
  • Add an egg and mix in. Then about a third of the flour mixture and blend well, continue with the other two eggs and rest of the flour and the vanilla. 
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

Prepare the Pears

  • Peel and core the pears.
  • Cut the pears into wedges (about 12 slices from each pear).

Assemble the Honey Pear Cake

  • Arrange the pear slices on top of the cake. Depending on the size of the pear, you may not use all of the slices.
  • Sprinkle one tablespoonful of Demerara sugar on top of the cake.

Bake the Cake

  • Place the cake pan into the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the cake is risen, golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the from the pan.

Finish the Honey Pear Cake

  • Warm the honey slightly, then brush over the top of the entire cake. 
  • Finally, sprinkle with another tablespoonful of Demerara sugar (or less). That's it, you have just made a delicious cake!
  • Slice and serve on its own, or with cream or even custard!

Notes

Use an 8" round pan or 7" square pan

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 621IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

4.85 from 26 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

  1. This cake recipe has always caught my attention! I live in South Florida and my grocery store doesn’t carry very good pears all year long. When I buy them they are usually very unripe! I keep them in my fruit bowl to ripen and they always seem to get little gnats before I use them. Any suggestions? Thank you for all your lovely recipes!