Soft and Delicious Italian Pear Cake
Easy Italian Pear Cake, a simple moist dessert, breakfast or served as an afternoon tea cake. Made with creamy yogurt, butter, and fresh pears. Your new family light cake favorite, Pear Cake.
Italian desserts are made with simple ingredients. They aren’t too sweet and make the perfect sweet bite indulgence without the guilt. Rarely will you see frosting or ice cream served with any true Italian cake. At most, there is a dusting of powdered sugar or cacao and a dollop of freshly whipped cream. This cake is fluffy, lightly sweetened, and sure to satisfy any sweet tooth craving.
Cake for Breakfast
It is one of those cakes that make the perfect breakfast cake. And don’t we all love a delicious cake for breakfast? Besides who can refuse the tasty combination of creamy yogurt and pears? This lovely cake keeps for days at room temperature (doubtful it will last that long).
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What makes this pear cake EXTRA MOIST and SOFT?
A few key steps make this pear cake stand out from the rest! The first step in this cake recipe is whipping the eggs and sugar until a thick creamy consistency. I do this with an electric or stand mixer. This step creates a light and airy texture in the final product. Next, the melted (and cooled) butter adds a luxurious richness to the cake.
Finally, the yogurt. You will find many Italian cakes with yogurt. When adding yogurt to cakes it adds an extra soft component without weighing it down too much. As a result, yogurt adds moisture and fat in a cake batter, making the cake extra moist. A cake baked with yogurt is never dry. It’s always so soft, moist and absolutely delicious.
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Thick slices of juicy pear burst through the soft and tender cake. It’s a cake you must make!
The Perfect slice for breakfast, dessert, or your afternoon tea party.
Can I Make This Italian Pear Cake Gluten-Free?
I’ve had quite a few readers ask about using gluten-free flour in this Apple Cake Recipe. I’ve only made the recipe as written, but readers have reported success using either Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour or Cup4Cup gluten-free flour. I can’t say for sure if using a gluten-free flour will work, but this is what readers have recommended!
Secret to Adding Yogurt in Cake
What does yogurt do in a cake? Yogurt adds moisture and fat making the cake moist. A cake baked with yogurt is never dry. It’s always so soft, moist and absolutely delicious. Another, aspect to adding yogurt in cakes is the acidity of the yogurt works with the baking powder to leaven the cake and make it extra tall and fluffy. You don’t taste the yogurt at all! It simple serves as a secret weapon to add moistness and help your cake rise!
Can I Use Low-Fat Yogurt for This Cake?
It depends! Low fat dairy products are often filled with “junk” to stabilize the texture. As long as the brand of non fat yogurt doesn’t have any fillers it will work fine. One brand I recommend is Chobani non fat yogurt as an alternative.
Can I Make This Italian Pear Cake Gluten-Free?
I’ve had quite a few readers ask about using gluten-free flour in this Apple Cake Recipe. I’ve only made the recipe as written, but readers have reported success using either Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour or Cup4Cup gluten-free flour. I can’t say for sure if using a gluten-free flour will work, but this is what readers have recommended!
A little dollop of freshly whipped cream goes a long way and add the perfect touch. In Italy we don’t serve whipped cream with cake, but I thought…why not!
After just one bite you’ll be surprised how distinct the flavors are in this pear cake. We love its soft, tender texture, the chunks of fresh, sweet pear. It’s a cake that will keep you wanting more!
Italian Pear Cake Story
This recipe is adapted from one of my mamma’s relatives. When my mother was a teenager she would go visit her relatives in Oristano, a small town in Sardegna. They had three children the same ages as my mother and her siblings. They lived in a beautiful villa with pear trees.
In the summertime, my mamma, along with her siblings, visited the family and had the most wonderful time. In the morning they would play outside and gather pears from the orchard. In the afternoon when the sun blazed and it was too hot outside, the oldest girl taught them how to make this simple pear cake.
The house smelled like a bakery the rest of the afternoon. The cake was always done in time for “merenda” afternoon snack time. They joked and laughed as they enjoyed a warm slice of pear cake in the small town of Oristano. Doesn’t that sound like a dream…
Made with Amore, Elena
Print
Easy Italian Pear Cake (Torta di Pere)
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40-45 min
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sweet/ Dessert
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Easy Italian pear cake, a simple moist cake that is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or served as an afternoon tea cake. Made with creamy yogurt, butter, and fresh pears all in one bowl. This cake will be a hit with all your family and friends!
Ingredients
- 3 large peeled, firm ripe pears, (Bosc or Barlett), cut into pieces
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons (14 g) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon (pinch) kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) vanilla extract
- Confectioner sugar for dusting
- freshly whipped heavy cream, if desired
Instructions
- Line a 9.5 inch round baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip the sugar and eggs until you obtain a creamy and fluffy texture.
- Stir in the yogurt, butter, and vanilla extract. Use a fork or spatula to combine until smooth (not the electric mixer).
- In a separated bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Sift in the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir gently until well combined. Add the pears and mix gently. Place the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown too much on top tent with the top with foil during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Cool and dust cake with confectioner sugar. If desired, serve with freshly whipped cream.
Keywords: pear cake, dessert, Italian cake, easy dessert, pears, yogurt, cake
There are 4 comments
Sounds wonderful….do you think I could replace yogurt with sour cream?
★★★★★
It is delicious! It will change the taste, but you can certainly try it. I love the creamy light flavor of whole milk yogurt best. Happy baking! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Elena
Do you use light or low fat anything when you cook or bake with dairy? Just curious about the benefits of using full fat as far as additives or fillers etc.
I usually use full fat unless it is the Chobani 0%. Most low fat yogurts are filled with junk. I never use flavored yogurts in baking. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!