Chocolate Pear Cake

5 from 11 votes

This Chocolate Pear Cake is fluffy, moist and incredibly delicious. Made with roasted pureed pears, cocoa powder, and coated in butter and cinnamon sugar and topped with a simple icing.

Prep Time30

Cook Time55

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 533kcal

Author: Natalie

Ingredients

Chocolate Pear Cake

4 pears Cored and chopped into slices (about 3 cups chopped) Peel or leave peel on
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
3 large eggs room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
2 ⅔ cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder Dutch processed or natural
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Icing

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk add milk one tablespoon of milk at a time until desired thickness achieved

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Pear Cake

Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the pears with the melted butter, vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. . Spread the pears on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then puree pears in a food processor or blender. I prefer to puree most of my pears. You can set aside about a half cup pear chunks, if you prefer to see some pears in the cake. Set aside. Reduce heat to 325 F.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, oil, and sugars until combined and creamy. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla. With a spatula, stir in the buttermilk and pears followed by the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Spray a 10 cup bundt pan with a nonstick oil and flour spray such as Baker’s Joy. Spray in short strokes then use a pastry brush to brush the oil all around the pan. Be sure to coat all the nooks and crannies.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 F for 53 to 57 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean or only with a few crumbs when inserted in the center or until cake springs back to the touch.
Remove cake from oven. Immediately set a timer for 10 minutes. Allow cake to cool slightly in the pan for 10 minutes then invert pan Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes then carefully invert cake onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

Stir together the cinnamon and sugar and set nearby the cake. Brush the butter allover the cooled cake. Use your hands to scoop some of the cinnamon sugar and press and rub it into the cake evenly.

Icing

Stir together the powdered sugar and milk. Start with three teaspoons and gradually add more until you reach desired thickness. Icing should be a little thinner than craft glue. If it's too thick, add a little more milk. If too thin, add 1 tbsp of powdered sugar at a time til thickened. Pour over your cooled bundt cake and enjoy!

Notes

Pears: I prefer to bake with Anjou pears. Bartlett pears (Williams) or Bosc also work. Make sure to use ripe or overripe pears. Leave skin on or peel them. For Bosc pears, I recommend peeling them.

Decorating: Set aside or mix together a little extra cinnamon sugar for decorating, if desired. Sprinkle it on top of the icing before the icing sets. (See photos of finished cake above).

Icing: If icing too thick, gradually add more milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.

Storage: Store pear chocolate cake in an airtight container such as a cake dome or cake carrier for 3 to 4 days at room temperature.

Nutrition