Spiced Pear Walnut Cake (Printable View)

A fragrant cake featuring ripe pears, walnuts, and warm spices for cozy autumn moments.

# Ingredient List:

→ Fruit

01 - 2 large ripe pears, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 cups)

→ Nuts

02 - 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

→ Dry Ingredients

03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
05 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Wet Ingredients

11 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil
12 - 2 large eggs
13 - 1/2 cup plain yogurt
14 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk vegetable oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract until smooth.
04 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined.
05 - Carefully fold diced pears and chopped walnuts into the batter.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
09 - Serve plain or dusted with powdered sugar as desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The pears stay soft and jammy inside while the walnuts give every bite a satisfying crunch.
  • Its sweet enough to feel like dessert but not so rich that you cant justify a slice with morning coffee.
  • The spices fill the whole house with a scent that makes people wander into the kitchen asking whats baking.
  • It comes together in one bowl with no mixer, no fuss, and no chance of overmixing.
02 -
  • Dice the pears small enough that they soften fully during baking, large chunks stay hard and throw off the texture.
  • Dont skip greasing the pan even if it claims to be nonstick, I have lost too many cakes to misplaced confidence.
  • Check the cake at 40 minutes, ovens vary wildly and five extra minutes can mean the difference between moist and dry.
03 -
  • Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for three to four minutes, shaking the pan often, until they smell nutty and rich.
  • Use pears that are ripe but still firm, overripe ones turn to mush and make the batter too wet.
  • If you only have Greek yogurt, thin it with a tablespoon of milk so it mixes in smoothly without clumping.

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