Easy Italian Pear Cake Recipe (Torta di Pere)
Apr 05, 2021, Updated Jan 03, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
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: Italian Olive Oil Cake Orange Honey (easy), 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
💙 MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💙 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love connecting with you! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Pinterest.
Print
Italian Pear Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
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 (4 small), 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, room temperature
- 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 (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.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: Sweet/ Dessert
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
I’ve made this twice now for company dinners and it was a huge hit. It’s as easy as it is scrumptious! I love that it’s not too sweet and the texture is so light. I’ve served it with whipped cream and I subbed in sour cream for the yogurt.
Tutta la famiglia loved it!
Sono contenta! Happy you and everyone else loved the recipe. We make this one and the apple cake often for all of those reasons.Love it with a dollop of whip- yumm.
I loved this cake, simple ingredients and simple to make. I was moist but fluffy with a bit of a tang from the yogurt. I definitely will make it again.11
Happy you loved it. We make it often in our home for the same reasons. Enjoy!
I wanted to like this, followed it exactly, baked it as stated, and a toothpick came out clean but after it cooled it fell in the center and was very wet… what did I do wrong? my oven temp was tested and was exactly 350ยฐ. I’m sooooo disappointed
Hi Deb, I haven’t had anyone with this issue before, and I want to help you get it right. Did you weigh the flour? I find that makes a difference sometimes. Also, the kind of yogurt? I use whole-fat organic. I hope that helps and you can try it again. It is a family favorite.
I’ve made this recipe every week since discovering it several months ago – my family loves it and we never get tired of it. Sometimes It’s absolutely delicious. It reminds me so much of my Nonna’s baking.
sorry that wasn’t supposed to say sometimes it’s delicious – it’s delicious everytime!
Thrilled you love it! We adore the recipe here too. Nonna’s recipes are the best.
Love this recipe. Made it 3 times this past fall. Thanks for sharing Elena!
Happy you loved it! It is a well-loved recipe in our home.
Loved this cake. We used sour cream instead of the yogurt and it worked great! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
That is a great substitute. Happy you loved it! We love this family recipe.
Love, love, love this recipe! Iโve made it twice and itโs so perfect! I love that itโs not super sweet but still satisfies my sweet tooth! Very easy to make as well.
Happy you love it! It is a family favorite!
Elena, Your Torta e Pere recipe is delicious, soft and moist. I made it yesterday and had two pieces! I did use oil (sunflower) instead of butter as you said we could and it worked out fine. In so many cakes with fruit inside the fruit flavor can get lost, but not your recipe! You can still taste the pears even though they are a delicate flavor a testimony to your skill and your recipe. I am part Italian but was too young to learn from my grandmother. Making your recipes makes feel closer to her and I thank you for that and this Pear Cake recipe!
Your message touched my heart! One of the missions of my website is to bring people closer to their Italian roots. I hope to bring many more recipes to your cucina. All the best, Elena.
Absolutely delicious! Worked really well using gluten free flour. Iโm looking forward to having some for breakfast!
Pear cake for breakfast is the best! Enjoy. Happy it turned out great gluten-free.
This came highly recommended and was absolutely delicious.
Hi Hannah, so happy you loved the recipe. It is a family favorite.