Easy Pear Cake Recipe
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Oct. 20, 2026
This Easy Pear Cake Recipe is deliciously different from other recipes, as it’s a super easy bundt cake and loaded with fresh pears. It’s extra moist, spiced, and sweetened with only honey and fresh pears. Mix it in two bowls, pour it into a bundt pan, and bake into golden perfection. Huge pear flavors for breakfast or dessert. Bake it this week!
In This Article
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Amy’s Notes
I love snacking and baking with fresh apples, but pears are actually my favorite choice for baking. If you haven’t tried baking with pears, I encourage you not to wait a day longer. Pears bake up with a similar tender texture as apples do, but pears offer a wonderfully aromatic flavor that’s unparalleled.
- Moist for days: Thanks to olive oil and honey instead of butter and sugar.
- No refined sugar: A slice at breakfast is fair game.
- Dairy-free: When served as-is, it’s dairy free.
- Breakfast, snack, or dessert. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it’s ready to be shared.
If you’re a fan of simple baking, be sure to also try my amazing apple pie with flaky butter crust.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Fresh Pears: The star of the show. Use ripe pears that still feel a little firm so they soften in the oven without turning mushy.
- Pure Honey: Replaces refined sugar and adds a deeper sweetness that goes beautifully with pears.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Keeps the cake tender and moist for days, no butter needed.
- White Whole Wheat Flour: Adds whole grain without the heavy, dense texture of regular whole wheat. You can use regular flour as well.
- Warm Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give huge flavors to the cake.
Substitutions and Variations
- Flour Swap: Feel free to go 50/50 with all-purpose flour if you want a lighter crumb. You can also just use all-purpose flour only.
- Oil Swap: Canola or vegetable oil works if that’s what you have on hand.
- Apple Swap: Use diced apples instead of pears. For a classic version, try my easy one-bowl apple cake.
- Spice Shortcut: Swap all four spices for 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- Add Nuts: Fold in ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans with the pears.
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
- Generously grease your bundt pan, dust it with flour, and tap out any excess.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until bubbly, then stir in the oil and honey until combined. Gently fold in the freshly diced pears.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet egg mixture just until incorporated. Transfer the batter into bundt pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few tender crumbs still attached. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before using any icing you’d like.
→ For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How to Prep Ahead
- Peel and Dice Early: You can chop your pears a day ahead. Toss them with a splash of lemon juice so they don’t turn brown.
- Storage: This cake actually tastes better on day two after the flavors settle. Keep it covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or wrap slices tightly and freeze up to 2 months.
Easy Pear Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup olive oil, I use extra virgin, plus extra for pan
- 1 cup pure honey
- 5 cups freshly diced pears, peeled
- 3 cups white whole wheat flour or all purpose flour, plus extra for pan
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Optional: Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting, or store-bought
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F with rack on lower middle position. Generously grease a bundt pan, followed by a sprinkling of flour on bottom/sides of pan; tap out excess flour from pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until bubbly. Stir in the oil and honey until combined. Add pears, folding just enough to combine.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Fold flour mixture gently together with the egg mixture, just until incorporated (do not over-mix). Batter will be thick. Use rubber spatula to transfer batter into greased/floured bundt pan.
- Bake 60-70 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with a few tender crumbs attached. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack. Run thin knife around edges to loosen, if needed. Turn pan upside down on serving platter and give it a few firm pats to remove cake. Serve as is or frost as desired.
- Run thin knife around edges to loosen, if needed. Turn pan upside down on serving platter and give it a few firm pats to remove cake. Serve as is or frost as desired.
Equipment
- Bundt Pan, 9.5"
Notes
- Substitutions: Go 50/50 white whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a finer crumb that still has whole grain. Canola or vegetable oil works in place of olive oil.
- Prep Ahead: Dice pears up to a day ahead and toss with a little lemon juice so they don’t brown. The cake tastes even better the day after baking.
- Storage: Cover and keep at room temperature up to 3 days, or wrap slices and freeze up to 2 months.
- Frosting: This cake is great plain. For a frosting with no refined sugar, beat 1 cup full-fat cream cheese and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (both room temperature) on medium-low until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in 4 tablespoons honey on low, then on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Chill to firm up if needed.
- For a fall brunch, serve it with our Blueberry French Toast Casserole.
- This recipe is part of our Cake and Cupcake Recipes collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Frequently Asked Questions
I really recommend sticking to fresh pears here. Canned pears have way too much liquid and extra syrup, which will throw off the batter and make the cake soggy. Fresh pears give you that gorgeous texture!
Bosc, Bartlett, or Anjou all work great. Pick pears that are ripe and fragrant but still firm. Rock-hard pears won’t soften or have much flavor, and very soft ones will make the batter watery.
A bundt pan gives it that pretty shape, but if you don’t have one, a 9×13-inch baking pan works just fine. Just keep an eye on the bake time since it might cook a little faster.
Cover it tightly and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. It stays moist enough that you don’t need to refrigerate it.
You bet! Just bake the cake, let it cool completely, and slice it up. Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and pop them into a freezer-safe bag. They’ll keep great for up to two months. When a craving hits, just thaw a slice on the counter or give it a quick zap in the microwave.
Steer clear of pears that are rock-hard or still underripe, as they won’t soften up enough while baking and won’t have much flavor. On the flip side, avoid super mushy or overripe pears. They’ll turn your cake batter into a watery mess. You want that sweet spot: ripe, fragrant, but still holding their shape when you chop them!
More to Cook and Eat
- Julia Child’s Pear Clafoutis – Elegant, custardy, and surprisingly easy to whip up.
- Honey Pear Bread – Another sweet way to put your seasonal fruit to work.
- Easy Ginger Pear Sangria Recipe – Crisp, refreshing, and full of autumn spice.
- Roasted Pear Gorgonzola Salad – Sweet pears paired with sharp cheese for the ultimate lunch salad.