Go Back
cardamom pear loaf cake

cardamom pear loaf cake

Megan
a perfectly moist cardamom loaf cake filled with sweet pears. topped with a crunchy ginger spiced streusel and maple vanilla bean glaze. this simple loaf cake is packed with peak fall and winter flavor. enjoy as a decadent breakfast treat or as the perfect simple dessert to end any special meal.
4.83 from 17 votes
print it pin it
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • whisk, wooden spoon and/or spatula
  • 9X5 loaf metal loaf pan
  • parchement paper

Ingredients
  

spiced strusel topping

  • ½ c (60g) all purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp (56g) cold unsalted butter, evenly cubed into small pieces
  • ¼ c (50g) light brown or maple sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ c (30g) crystalized ginger, evenly chopped into small pieces, optional

cardamon pear loaf cake

  • 1 ⅓- 1 ½ c finely shredded pears (about 1-2 pears, depending on the size)
  • 1 ¼ c (150g) cake flour sub all purpose or see notes
  • ¾ c (90g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ c (100ml) olive oil or other neutral baking oil
  • ½ c (100g) light brown sugar
  • ½ c (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ⅓ c buttermilk see notes
  • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste sub with vanilla extract

maple vanilla bean glaze

  • 1 c (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean paste sub vanilla extract or omit
  • 4 tablespoon pure maple syrup, to desired consistency

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9X5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving 1-2" excess along the longer sides of the pan. This helps with removeal once the loaf has baked. Set aside.
    If making your own buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to the ⅓ c whole milk now. It needs about 10 minutes to curdle.
    Shred pears into a small bowl using a box grater. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the dry ingredients for the streusel topping in a small mixing bowl. If adding the crystalized ginger, add that next. This ingredient is totally optional and mostly for a flavor boost. Work in the cubes of butter until the mixture comes together. The mixture should resemble coarse pieces of sand, with some larger pieces mixed in. Set the bowl inthe fridge to chill while preparing the loaf cake.
  • In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
  • Using a whisk (by hand) or electric mixer with beaters or paddle attachment, beat together the oil and both sugars until smooth and well combined.
    Add eggs and vanilla bean paste (or extract), beating each one for about 20 seconds before adding the next.
  • Stir in the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet, alternating in this order: dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry. Leave a few flour or milk streaks before adding the next .
    Gently fold shredded pears into the batter. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top of the batter.
    Top the batter with the chilled streusel topping. Feel free to clump pieces together for larger crumbles or scatter smaller pieces over the top of the batter. Gently press the struesel into the cake batter.
  • Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes. Around 40 minutes, do the first check of the cake. Check to make sure the struesel isn't burning. If the top is browning too much, place a tent foil over the top for the remainder of the time.
    Bake an additional 10 minutes before checking for doneness. The edges of the cake will have pulled slighly from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
    If the toothpick comes out wet or "gummy," the cake will most likely need an addtional 10-20 minutes from that point. Check every 5-10 until done.
  • Remove the loaf cake from the oven to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Within the first 10 minutes of the cake cooling, make the glaze.
    To make the glaze, mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste and 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup. Add 1 teaspoon more syrup at a time until desired consistency is reached.
    Pour the glaze on top of the loaf cake while in the pan. This keeps the crumbles "pasted" together. Once the cake has cooled 15-20 total minutes in the pan (and about 10-15 minutes with the glaze on top), gently loosen the unlined edges with a butter knife. Using the parchment overhang, remove the cake from the pan. Cool the glazed cake an additional 30-45 minutes on the cooling rack. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

cake flour: to make your own DIY cake flour, measure out 1 1 /4 c all purpose flour. scoop out 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon flour. add back in 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch. sift together 3-4 times. 
buttermilk: to make your own DIY buttermilk, measure out ⅓ c milk. add in 1 teaspoon lemon juice. mix together. let sit for 10 minutes to curdle.
Keyword easy holiday cake, ginger struesel, pear cake, spiced pears, spiced quick bread
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram