Easy Italian Pear Cake Recipe (Torta di Pere)
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Easy Italian Pear Cake Recipe (Torta di Pere), a simple moist dessert, breakfast or served as an afternoon tea cake. Made with creamy yogurt, luscious butter, and fresh pears this cake will soon become a family favorite!
You will also love these easy and simple cakes Chocolate Torte, Simple Italian Apple Cake (one bowl), Italian Crumble Cake Pastry Cream Filling, and my panettone recipe.
Why I love this Italian Pear Cake
Italian desserts are made with simple ingredients. They aren’t too sweet and make the perfect treat without the guilt. You will rarely see frosting or ice cream served with any true Italian cake. No judgments if you add them to this 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. It is a simple and moist dessert that can’t be beaten!
Try pairing this with our creamy vanilla sauce or strawberry sauce!
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
I recommend using the best quality ingredients for this super simple cake.
- Fresh pears, (I find the best pears are Bosc pears, Anjou pears, or Barlett pears)
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder (not baking soda!)
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Whole milk yogurt
- Melted butter
- Eggs, room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- freshly whipped heavy cream, if desired
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Pear Cake
If you want step-by-step photos for this fresh pear cake recipe.
A few key steps make this easy Italian pear cake recipe 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 the cake batter, making the cake extra moist. A cake baked with yogurt is never dry. It’s always so soft, moist, and absolutely delicious.
Here is the round 9″ spring form pan I love! BUY THIS ONE .
Variations
The first time you make this recipe try the original recipe! The next time you make it you can try one of these variations.
Cake variations
- Gluten-Free Option – If you are making this simple Italian apple cake gluten-free you can use this flour and it will turn out delicious!
- Low-fat yogurt – 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 nonfat yogurt as an alternative.
- Brown sugar – I love the idea of doing half-brown sugar and white sugar to add a little extra richness. I’ve tried this and it changes the taste a bit, but I like it!
- Sour Cream – you can substitute the same amount of sour cream for yogurt in this recipe.
- Warm Spices – This cake is simple and pure without the addition of any spices (I prefer it this way). If you like try adding cinnamon, cardamon, or allspice.
- Lemon juice – add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to add a zing to the cake and complement the sweetness of the pears.
- Vegetable oil – You can add vegetable oil or any mild flavored oil in place of the butter in this pear cake recipe. You will still achieve a tender crumb. The oil makes the cake a little less dense and airier than when it is made with only butter. I’ve made it both ways and love them both equally!
You will also love these cake recipes: orange olive oil cake, Moist Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, Easy Carrot Cake Recipe, Best Ricotta Cake, and Easy Lemon Yogurt Loaf Cake.
Serving variations
- Try this delicious cake with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
- Add caramel sauce for an extra indulgent twist.
- Make a light cream cheese frosting and spread it over the cooled cake.
- If you want to decorate the cake by adding extra pear slices in a pattern on top of the cake for a pretty presentation.
Any way you make or serve this easy pear cake recipe it is one that everyone is sure to love.
I would recommend fresh pears but if canned pears are what’s available to you then you can absolutely use those instead. Make sure you drain them well as adding extra liquid to baking proportions can throw off the texture or cooking time of the final product.
I like to use a springform pan so it is easy to remove the cake from the pan. You can use a regular 9.5/10-inch round pan as well.
I find the best pears are Bosc pears, Anjou pears, or Barlett pears.
Pears do not need to be peeled before baking or adding to this cake but you can if that is your preference.
What does yogurt do in a cake? Yogurt adds moisture and fat to a cake batter, making the cake moist. A cake baked with yogurt is never dry. It’s always so soft, moist, and absolutely delicious. Another bonus to adding yogurt to cakes is the acidity of the yogurt works with the baking powder to leaven the cake and make it extra tall and super fluffy. You don’t taste the yogurt at all! It simply serves as a secret weapon to add moistness and help your cake rise. Adding yogurt to this cake makes it an extra moist and great recipe!
Storage Instructions
This cake is so delicious that I doubt it will last very long in your house. But, if it does, the best way to store it is on a plate with a covering or in a storage container with a lid at room temperature (checking every day for any signs of mold) or in the fridge.
How to serve Italian pear cake
A little dollop of freshly whipped cream goes a long way and adds 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, and the chunks of fresh, sweet pear. It’s a cake that will keep you wanting more!
Made with Amore, Elena
Cake pan recommendation
I like to use a springform pan so it is easy to take out the cake. You can use a regular 9.5/10-inch round pan as well. Make sure to let the cake cool completely after baking and before slicing.
It is worth the wait to let the cake set! This cake is even better the next day.
More Delicious Desserts for YOU
Traditional Italian Tiramisù (no alcohol)
Sweet Focaccia with Raspberries and Balsamic Glaze
Easy Almond Sponge Cake with Italian Cream
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Italian Pear Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large firm ripe pears, or 4 small (Bosc or Barlett), peeled and cut into pieces
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 g
- 3 teaspoons baking powder, 14 g
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, 200 g
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt
- ½ cup butter, 113 g, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2g
- Confectioner sugar for dusting
- freshly whipped heavy cream, if desired
Instructions
- Line a 9.5-inch round baking pan (springform pan or bundt pan) with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the sugar and eggs until you obtain a creamy and fluffy texture. You can also use a stand mixer with a large bowl.
- Stir in the yogurt, butter, and vanilla extract. Use a fork or spatula to combine until smooth (not the electric mixer).
- In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir gently until well combined. Add the pears and mix gently. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown too much on the top tent the top with foil during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack. Before serving dust the cake with confectioner sugar. If desired, serve with freshly whipped cream, or ice cream.
Notes
- I like to use a springform pan
- TOP TIP: Use room temperature ingredients. This will make the cake tall and fluffy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think this recipe needs the quantity of chopped pears in cups. I don’t think mine had enough. My pears were tiny so I used one more than the recipe called for for small pears. A little disappointing.
This is truly an excellent recipe! I did find most of my pears ended up at the bottom, so next time I will top the cake with half the pears ( the other half in the batter) so they become suspended a bit higher. I don’t know if I ever need to make a different kind of cake. This is top notch.
YAY! So happy you loved it so much. Yes, you can vary with apples and peaches, too. If they all fell to the bottom you can try tossing in a tad bit of flour next time. Enjoy!
Just made and looks delicious, is it okay to freeze?
Yes! I have some slices in my freezer now and I just pull out and heat when I want some!
This is a really lovely cake. I used sunflower oil and a little less sugar. Simple recipe and beautifully moist, kept well. I used my own pears.
I love that you used homegrown pears. YUM! Happy you loved the recipe.
Extraordinary! Moist, Fresh, fruity and a PERFECT way to serve and honor the beautiful bounty of pears from our tree this year. Thank you Elena. I used a combination of the light (;in flavor) oil and butter. I dusted with ginger sugar, just because I had some and it was a great addition. Served with dollop of crème franchise with lemon juice and rind added which was perfect flavor combination.
YUM! I love that you served with that creme. I am happy you loved this light and flavorful cake.
Delicious recipe! Please tell me how many ounces or grams equals a cup of yogurt! Hard to eyeball it.
I used Trader Joe’s plain 2% yogurt and grape seed oil instead of butter. Glad I could use GF Measure for Measure flour. Will make this again soon.! Excellent.
Thank you,
Joanna Sawyer
So happy you loved it! It’s about 225 grams.
Fantastic cake, baked it today and Im sure it will not last long. Very simple but absolutely delicious! I will definitely try other recipes fron your web, thank you!
Yay! I am happy you loved it- it never lasts long at our home, either! I can’t wait for you to try all the other delicious recipes. You can also sign up to recieve my emails with new recipes I post every week.
I stumbled upon your site looking for a pear cake recipe and this did not disappoint. What an delicious (and easy) cake! The only change I made was a dusting of cinnamon and sugar on the top before baking. I’ll definitely be making this again and bookmarking your site. Thanks!
I love the addition of cinnamon sugar! So happy you loved this recipe.
Hola Elena, hice hoy este pastel y su sabor es espectacular, muy jugoso y nada empalagoso. El único pero es que se hundió de enmedio, lo dejé en el horno 1 hora 10’minutos y estaba dorado por fuera y firme, el palillo salió un poco húmedo y asumí que era por el yogurt y las peras pero al pasar más tiempo se hundió. Creo que este pastel sería mejor hacerlo en un molde de rosca y/o dejarlo más tiempo para prevenir que quede crudo del centro.
Recorte el centro y rescate el resto y es fantástico, gracias por tan deliciosa receta. Saludos desde México 🇲🇽
Just wondering if I could use ricotta instead of yoghurt?
Yes! Or, you can try my other two yogurt cake recipes. Enjoy!