Spiced Pear Pound Cake with a Cranberry Glaze Recipe
I was in the grocery store the other day and pears were on sale. They looked so enticing so I bought a bunch of them. I had been toying with a pear pound cake for a while and these pears, along with the cool temperatures that make me want to bake, helped me make up my mind.I’m a pound cake fan, always have been. I like light and fluffy cakes too, but I really love the dense smooth texture and the rich taste of a good pound cake. Because of that, I try to come up with recipes that take the cake to another level. This is definitely one of those recipes.
Like pears, spice cakes remind me of the fall season. Days get cooler, leaves start turning colors and meals become a little bit heartier. The warm smells of cinnamon and spice welcome people home during the fall and winter months.
Wanting to combine my love of pound cake, pears and spices, I came up with this Spiced Pear Pound Cake recipe. I added a cranberry glaze which gives the cake a nice fruity tang. The result is a fruity, dense pound cake with a mild spice flavor that doesn’t overpower the pears or the tastebuds.
After making this cake just one time, I have decided that it just might be my favorite pound cake recipe. Not only does it taste amazing, the house smells deliciously spicy when it’s baking. It’s a hit with my family too, so that is an extra bonus.
I think you’ll like it too. You’ll find the recipe following the step by step photos.
 |
| Everything you’ll need to make this delicious pound cake. |
Step 1 – Combine the wet ingredients, including the sugars
 |
| Cream the sugars and other wet ingredients until well combined, approximately 4 minutes on the high setting. |
Step 2 – The mixture after the wet ingredients have been mixed
Step 3 – Add the dry ingredients and milk and the mixture looks like this
 |
| Here is the batter completely mixed. Look at the spices throughout the mixture. |
Step 4 – Gently fold in the pears
 |
| Gently fold the pears into the batter. |
Step 5 – Spoon into the prepared cake pan
 |
| Ready for the oven, the batter has been evenly placed in a well prepared cake pan. |
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups pears (not too ripe), peeled, seeded and chopped into bite-sized pieces, don’t used canned pears for this recipe
- 1 can jellied cranberry sauce
- Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan or angel food tube pan. This makes a large cake.
- Cream sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs. Begin on low speed until mixed and then on high for about 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.
- After the wet ingredients are mixed, set the blender on low and add the flour mixture and milk, alternating between the two and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Gently fold in the pears.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan, spreading it evenly.
- Bake at 350° for about 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a toothpick put in the center comes out cleanly. If you are using a dark pan or if you oven temperature runs high, set it to 325°. Check the cake after about an hour to make sure it doesn’t over bake.
- Remove from oven and put pan on a cake rack. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Then turn out the cake onto the cake rack and let it cool completely.
2 Comments
Susan Zutautas
September 21, 2014 at 11:00 AMOh my I think I've just found my dessert for Thanksgiving. We have ours in October here in Canada and I'll be serving your spiced pear pound cake for dessert that night. Yum!
graceonline
September 25, 2014 at 4:29 AMI have a favorite pound cake recipe I keep meaning to share, but this one just might ace it. I will have to give it a try next time I have a hankering for pound cake.