Pear Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Layered into this vintage cake are bits of sweet Bosc pears mingled with a scoop of ginger pear honey, a touch of spice and fragrance from cinnamon plus the crunch from toasted almonds. Then we finish it with a sweet buttermilk glaze.

Vintage cakes were quite often made with a variety of fresh fruits and nuts. Many of these cakes had a dense character, much like that of a quick bread. The beauty of the addition of fruit in these cakes, the flavors deepen by the day.

This cake is made rich with butter and eggs, spiced with cinnamon and ginger from the ginger pear honey, plus a depth of flavor from pure vanilla and almond extracts. Ripe Bosc pears are certainly the stars, but toasted almonds provide a delectable addition.

Bake until the cake is a deep mahogany.

And though this cake is wonderful on its own, an old-fashioned glaze provides the perfect finish. Made with an unusual mixture of buttermilk, butter, sugar, cornstarch and baking soda.

Ideal for dessert, you’ll find this Pear Cake is also a delicious addition to your brunch table.

It’s no wonder these vintage cakes endure through generations.

Pear Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

For the cake:

¾ cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 extra-large eggs, room temperature

2 large, ripe Bosc pears, peeled, cored and chopped, measuring out 2 cups

½ cup ginger pear honey*

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup rough chopped, toasted slivered almonds

For the glaze:

½ cup buttermilk

¼ cup butter

½ cup sugar

1-½ teaspoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To make the cake:

Grease and flour a 10” tube pan and preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Cream the softened butter on medium speed, then add the sugar. Continue beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating into the butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Stir in the pears, the ginger pear honey, vanilla and almond extracts on medium speed.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour together with the baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon and the almonds.

Add the flour mixture to the batter, about 1 cup at a time, using low speed, mixing just until the flour disappears.

Scoop the batter into the prepared tube pan and bake at 350-degrees for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Take care not to over bake.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan and remove the outer ring. Run the knife between the cake and the bottom of the pan to loosen the cake. Place the cake top side up on a rack to continue cooling while you make the glaze.

For the glaze:

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and baking soda together.

Combine the sugar mixture with the buttermilk and butter in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, until the butter has melted bringing the glaze to a gentle boil. Remove the glaze from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

To finish the cake, spoon the glaze over the cake while it is still slightly warm.

Serves 10.

*We used our Ginger Pear Honey, but you can also use pear jam plus ½ teaspoon chopped fresh ginger and 1 teaspoon ground ginger.

Pyrex measuring cups have been used in our kitchens for generations – I still have many of my Mom’s! https://amzn.to/4aUpSql

Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3QgEdE1 and pure almond extract https://amzn.to/4hfChan provide the perfect touch to our baked goods!

And our kitchen wouldn’t be complete without KitchenAid’s 7-quart mixer. It’s in frequent use in our kitchen. https://amzn.to/4jDQAqQ

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