• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cookin Canuck
  • Recipe Index
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Cooking 101
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Quick&Easy
  • Instant Pot
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Quick&Easy
    • Instant Pot
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Desserts » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Spiced Pear Coffee Cake Recipe

    Published: Oct 10, 2009 · Modified: May 2, 2022 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 40 Comments

    48Shares

    Spiced Pear Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar & Oats Recipe

    We finally picked the rest of the pears off of our prolific Charlie Brown pear tree. Its little branches have finally sprung back up to their pre-fruit bearing days and it seemed to breathe an audible sigh of relief as we picked the last pear. After indulging in my Pear, Blueberry and Ginger Cobbler recipe, eating many pears down to the core, and making plans to cook some apple and pear butter, I figured our pears could make one last incarnation before the season was over. What fruit doesn't love being spiced up with some cloves and nutmeg, sweetened with some streusel, and baked in a moist, tender cake? That's a rhetorical question. Coffee cake is perfect as part of Sunday brunch, with an early morning cup of coffee or tea, or as an afternoon treat.

    Making the streusel:

    In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar,


    ¾ cup rolled oats,


    and ½ teaspoon ground cloves.


    Cut 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled butter into ½-inch pieces and cut into the brown sugar mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers. I always start off using a pastry cutter, with some misplaced good intention of keeping my hands clean. It usually takes me about 10 seconds to realize that using my fingers is so much more fun.


    When the mixture resembles coarse meal, set it aside.


    Making the cake:

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    In a large bowl, combine 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg.



    Combine ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter and 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar in a large bowl, and blend with a mixer until fluffy.


    Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.


    Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.


    Fold in the flour mixture alternately with 1 ½ cups plain yogurt (I used 2%, but whole milk yogurt would work well, too), beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.



    Coat a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray (or grease with butter or shortening). Cut one pear into ½-inch pieces. Spoon in ⅓ of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Top with ½ of the streusel mixture and ½ of the pear pieces.


    Spoon in half of the remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel and pear pieces. Spoon in the rest of the batter and spread evenly over the streusel. Don't be alarmed - the batter is rather thick. I had to double-check my ingredients list the first time I made this to make sure I hadn't missed some sort of liquid.

    Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack.


    Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Using a sieve, sprinkle over about ¼ cup powdered sugar. You don't have to do this step, but it really looks pretty. Serve warm or at room temperature.


    Spiced Pear Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar & Oat Streusel
    Adapted from an epicurious.com recipe 
    Streusel:
    ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
    ¾ cup rolled oats
    ½ teaspoon ground cloves
    6 tablespoon (¾ stick) chilled butterCake:
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

    1 ½ teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
    ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
    1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
    3 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 ½ cups plain yogurt
    1 Bartlett pear, cut into ½-inch pieces 
    Making the streusel:
    In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, rolled oats, and ground cloves. Whisk together. Cut 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled butter into ½-inch pieces and cut into the brown sugar mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers. When the mixture resembles coarse meal, set it aside. 

    Making the cake:

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

    In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

     

    Combine ¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter and 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar in a separate large bowl, and blend with a mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
    Fold in the flour mixture alternately with plain yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.
    Coat a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray (or grease with butter or shortening). Spoon in ⅓ of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Top with ½ of the streusel mixture and ½ of the pear pieces. Spoon in half of the remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel and pear pieces. Spoon in the rest of the batter and spread evenly over the streusel.
    Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a rack. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Using a sieve, sprinkle over about ¼ cup powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
    Printable recipe

     

    48Shares
    « Toasted Brown Rice with Mixed Mushrooms, Spinach & Thyme Recipe
    Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin »

    Want more easy, healthy recipes?

    Subscribe to get the recipes sent straight to your inbox.

      We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. My Little Space

        October 10, 2009 at 11:17 pm

        Canuck, this looks amazing! I always love fruits in my bakery. And this is a perfect on for me...can't wait to try it. Thanks.

        Reply
      2. Short and Bald

        October 10, 2009 at 10:36 pm

        looks soooooooo good! i'm sure it's good warm or cold. thanks ^^

        Reply
      3. Alessandro Guerani

        October 10, 2009 at 9:39 pm

        It looks wonderful and it will taste accordingly for sure.
        I also appreciate a lot how you describe the preparation step by step (very useful for cooking newbies like me).
        Great post, have to bookmark it.

        Reply
      4. Diana Bauman

        October 10, 2009 at 9:10 pm

        CC, this is perfect for the season! Looks so warming and inviting!

        Reply
      5. 5 Star Foodie

        October 10, 2009 at 8:14 pm

        A pear coffee cake sounds just perfect for October! I like the use of cloves here. Looking forward to making this for my family!

        Reply
      6. Barbara Bakes

        October 10, 2009 at 6:09 pm

        This looks fabulous for breakfast or dessert!

        Reply
      7. Cookin' Canuck

        October 10, 2009 at 5:57 pm

        I'm glad to hear so many people are thinking of making this. I just had a piece with a cup of tea and it hit the spot for this cool day.

        Pegasuslegend, I enjoy cinnamon, too. However, this recipe uses ground cloves and nutmeg instead of cinnamon.

        Reply
      8. April Cavin

        October 10, 2009 at 5:31 pm

        Looks like a delicious treat that's perfect for the season!

        Reply
      9. Drick

        October 10, 2009 at 4:41 pm

        What an incredible recipe for fall….I can smell it just reading about it….can’t wail to bake this one…..

        Reply
      10. TasteHongKong

        October 10, 2009 at 4:37 pm

        i'd love to help pick the pears and of course would be more than happy to share a piece of the cake.

        Reply
      11. pegasuslegend

        October 10, 2009 at 4:14 pm

        Wow this looks awesome and I love cinnamon cooking, it makes the house a home!

        Reply
      12. Natasha

        October 10, 2009 at 3:51 pm

        Definitely will make this if I can still get pears at the market. Lovely coffee cake.

        Reply
      13. citronetvanille

        October 10, 2009 at 3:14 pm

        Love your cake! love it even more that there is no cinnamon! it's just beautiful...I am having my morning coffee and it would go so well wit it. I will keep the recipe.

        Reply
      14. Ravenous Couple

        October 10, 2009 at 2:58 pm

        this looks perfect with some strong vietnamese coffee!

        Reply
      15. Divina Pe

        October 10, 2009 at 2:38 pm

        What I actually meant is buy some imported pears. 🙂

        Reply
      16. Miranda

        October 10, 2009 at 1:50 pm

        Beautiful Cake CC!
        I love pears! The streusel topping is perfect. thank you for sharing

        Reply
      17. Jessie

        October 10, 2009 at 1:13 pm

        that looks amazing! a true coffee cake that's so moist and soft and has sweet tasting crumbly topping. I love it!

        Reply
      18. Lea Ann

        October 10, 2009 at 1:08 pm

        ohmygosh, this looks wondderful. I have such fond memories of a hugh pear tree in our front yard, when I was growing up. Beautiful blooming tree in the spring - breathtaking. And then picking the fruit in the fall.

        Reply
      19. Divina Pe

        October 10, 2009 at 1:02 pm

        That looks gorgeous. I would be tempted to busy some imported pears because of this recipe.

        Reply
      20. Emily

        October 10, 2009 at 12:52 pm

        Ok. This looks amazing. I was thinking of making pumpkin bars to celebrate the autumn today.... but this pear cake just, well, takes the cake! Off to hunt the shops for softish pears.

        Reply
      Newer Comments »

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      Primary Sidebar

      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
      • Twitter
      Photo of Dara Michalski.

      Hi there! Welcome to Cookin' Canuck.

      I'm Dara, a Canadian living in the U.S. and sharing my favorite healthy recipes. My cooking motto is that healthy eating never needs to be boring!

      More about me →

      Popular

      • No-Cook Black Bean Wraps
      • Parmesan Crusted Salmon Recipe
      • Strawberry Nice Cream
      • Lemon Orzo Salad
      Photo of Dara Michalski.

      Hi there! Welcome to Cookin' Canuck.

      I'm Dara, a Canadian living in the U.S. and sharing my favorite healthy recipes. My cooking motto is that healthy eating never needs to be boring!

      More about me →

      Popular

      • Sautéed Corn, Zucchini & Blistered Tomatoes Recipe
      • Grilled Halloumi Cheese Recipe
      • Grilled Salmon Burgers with Avocado Sauce
      • Strawberry Arugula Salad Recipe

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      About

      • Meet Dara
      • Contact
      • Work With Me
      • FAQ
      • Privacy Policy

      Newsletter

      • Sign Up! for emails and updates

      Recipes

      • All Recipes
      • Main Dishes
      • Instant Pot Recipes
      • 30-Minute Meals

      I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

      Copyright © 2022 Cookin' Canuck