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A slice of French pear cake is lifted from the cake plate sitting on a cake stand on a wooden background with a brown cloth in the background and pear in the foreground.
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Pear Cake

This Gateau Fondant aux Poires - French Pear Cake recipe is an easy egg and sugar cake with soft and sweet pears in the center. The epitome of rustic French baking at its finest!
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword cake, fall dish, snack cake
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 274kcal
Author Sylvie Taylor

Ingredients

Pear cake

  • 100 grams / ½ cup superfine/caster sugar
  • 110 grams / 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
  • 160 grams / 1 cup plain flour
  • 8 grams / 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 100 grams / ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon milk
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil sunflower, avocado or canola
  • 2 large pears peeled, cored and finely sliced

Caramelized topping

  • 55 grams / 1 large egg room temperature
  • 38 grams / 3 tablespoons superfine/caster sugar
  • 80 grams / 2.8 ounces butter melted

Instructions

Pear cake

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and greaseproof a cake tin.
  • Place the sugar, 2 eggs and pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, milk and oil and whisk until it is a smooth batter.
  • Pour half the batter into the base of your baking tin and lay your sliced pears on top around the baking tin, layering as necessary.
  • Pour the remaining batter over the top and tap gently onto your bench to bring the bubbles to the surface.
  • Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Caramelized topping

  • Meanwhile, whisk the remaining egg and 42 grams / 3 tablespoons sugar until combined and slightly lighter in color. Carefully whisk the melted butter into the egg to combine smoothly.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and pour the butter mixture on top, returning to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until golden all over.
  • Remove and allow to cool before removing from the tin.
  • Sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar over the top, slice and serve.
  • Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • Pears: French d'Anjou or Bosc Pears with a firm flesh work well here. The fruit will soften during the baking process so you don't want your fruit to be overripe.
  • Neutral Oil: Sunflower oil and olive oil have been used in tests of this cake and olive oil compliments the sweet pears best. However, you could substitute with a similar neutral oil in equal measure, if you prefer.
  • Best cake tin for the cake: Whilst the 20cm/8 inch springform used here works well, when you pour the melty butter topping over, sometimes a little of the mixture will drip out of the bottom of a springform. If you have another tin on hand, that would work best.
Adapted from marmiton.org

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal