Easy Italian Pear Cake Recipe (Torta di Pere)
Apr 05, 2021, Updated Jan 03, 2025
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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!
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
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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
Awesome. Simple to make. You’re awesome. My german Papa loved this for his birthday. Mangia! Indeed!
YAY! So happy everyone loved it. Happy birthday to him!
can I use non-dairy yogurt for this? like cashew yogurt?
YES! That will work!
made this a couple of days ago with our Buerre Clairgeau dessert pears and it was fabulous! also made it vegan to share with neighbors. going to try it again today with almond extract instead of vanilla.
Thank you! Happy you loved it as much as we love this family recipe. It’s a great one to make this time of year with in season pears!
I made this for a party of 30 and everyone loved it .I will make it again thank you for sharing๐ฅฐ
Yay! Thrilled everyone loved it. It’s a treasured family recipe we make often. Many more yummy recipes to try.
Made this twice exactly as written and all ingredients at room temp. Absolutely love this. Light and somewhat fluffy, not too sweet, with a bit of whipping cream on the top when served. Everyone loves it. Have never baked with pears before, but now that our pear trees are producing, glad I found this recipe. Temped to try some of the changes others have recommended, but then again – its great as written here.
Love that you have fresh pears from your tree to use for this yummy cake. Thanks for loving this family recipe! It’s one to make time and time again.
Thank you for this recipe! I had pears going bad and made this with a bit of Meyer lemon from my tree and cardamon. I dusted with powdered sugar and powdered chocolate. The texture was amazing. Crisp on the outside and so moist on the inside. The flavors melded together. It is just so good!!
Yes, the texture is delicate and flavorful! Happy you loved it so much!
I made this today (incorrectly by accident but with the same ingredients) absolutely delicious! i creamed sugar with butter, and whisked my whites to stiff peaks, because I was too far gone down the wrong path by the time I read the instructions. Still worked out wonderfully! *phew*
Happy it still worked out for you! Yes, a delicious cake!
I received a huge bag of pears from a co worker. I donโt know of any recipes to make with pears so of course I searched and this recipe popped up. Itโs not sweet. Slightly dense (I used plain Greek yogurt because thatโs what I had). I sliced my pears thin and bite sized as with a previous reviewerโs comment said their pears were on the hard side. Itโs not too hard but some pieces had a soft crunch, of course I thought they would be softer as I expected due to baking but this recipe came out really good in my opinion. I tried it plain with no powdered sugar dusting. I had all ingredients, followed the recipe and would make again. Five stars from me.
YAY! So happy you loved this yummy family recipe. I usually start with ripe pears so I don’t have the problem of crunchy pears in the cake. Overall, I think if you cut as directed and use ripe pears you won’t run into that issue. I’m happy you still loved it. I usually let my pears ripped for a few days on the counter before using in this cake ๐ Enjoy!
Hi Elena, I made this wonderful cake today with pears from Florida. I used King Arthur gluten free flour, lemon juice, a blend of butter and olive oil, added a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, cloves and used my bundt pan. Since I’m lactose intolerant I substituted plain almond milk yogurt and vanilla coconut milk yogurt for milk based yogurt. The texture of the cake is light and has a nice fall spice flavor. The pears are soft and creamy.
I took a picture of my cake but I’m not sure if you would like to have it. Thank you for creating this recipe!
I love that you enjoyed the recipe and were able to make the dietary swaps needed to suit you. You can do the same with the apple version as well. Enjoy!
I made this cake yesterday to share with some of our kids and grandkids when they came to swim at our house. They all loved it! It was a perfect way to use pears that were given to us. We will definitely make it again!
Elena, Iโve made this cake (Italian pear cake) three times and it always seems not cooked throughโฆmushy. This time I cooked it for 1hr 30 min and still not done. I checked my baking powder to make sure itโs goodโฆ. It is. I had everything at room temp. What am I doing wrong???
Hi! This is a recipe that hundreds have made and I haven’t heard of this before. My first guess was the powder, but you checked that!I wonder if it could be the oven temperature? Maybe it is the kind of yogurt? What if you try it in a square baking pan? Maybe the round isn’t baking properly in the middle? I am so sorry to hear this. It is a super yummy tried-and-true recipe!