Juicy pears make this Pear Cake extra-super moist, and the buttery brown sugar cinnamon streusel on top might just be the best part. Bonus: this simple cake works for breakfast or dessert, which means you have twice as many reasons to make (and eat!) it.

I’m especially excited about this recipe because it gives pears, which often get passed over in favor of apples, a chance to shine. Yes, I love simple Baked Pears, but there’s something especially cozy about the act of folding them into a cinnamon-scented cake batter, then showering it with crumb topping.

Key Ingredients

You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.

Streusel. The streusel contains many of the same ingredients as the cake itself, plus oats for hearty texture and brown sugar for cozy sweetness.
Flour. I use a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, which sneaks a little extra nutrition in and gives the pear cake a subtle nutty flavor. If you don’t keep whole wheat flour on hand, you can use only all-purpose flour—just swap out the whole wheat for extra all-purpose.
Spices. Pears work with the same warm spices as apples; I use cinnamon and ginger here. Cardamom would also be a delight.
Butter. Using butter instead of oil makes for a richer cake. Make sure the butter is room temperature so it blends smoothly.
Eggs. Let these come to room temperature with the butter. They’ll hold more air when beaten, giving your cake a lighter texture.
Greek Yogurt. Or sour cream, if you prefer. For that extra tender crumb!
Buttermilk. Or regular milk. Buttermilk will add a bit of tang; it also reacts with the baking soda to give your pear cake more rise in the oven.
Bartlett Pear. A ripe Bartlett pear is golden yellow. They are the only variety of pear that changes color as it ripens! (Love pear recipes? Try this Pear Crisp next.)

How to Make Pear Cake

Make the Streusel. Combine the dry ingredients, then mix in the melted butter with your hands. (Make sure it’s cooled a little first. Don’t burn yourself!) You want a good mix of large and small streusel crumbles for the perfect texture.

Mix the Dry Ingredients. Whisk them together in a medium mixing bowl.

Mix the Wet Ingredients. Cream the butter, sugar, and honey with an electric mixer. The color will lighten and the mixture will become fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and yogurt.

Finish the Batter. Stir a third of the buttermilk into the wet ingredients, then half of the dry ingredients. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk and dry ingredients, then fold in the pears.

Bake. Transfer the batter to a greased pan and sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake the pear cake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then, if you’re using a springform pan, release the sides and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

Switch Up the Fruit. Use this pear cake recipe as a template for other fruit cakes. As long as you keep the batter-to-fruit ratio the same, you can swap in apples, blueberries, or other pear varieties.
Go Halfsies. Use half a pear and half an apple for a tasty mix.
Add a Glaze. Mix powdered sugar with a little bit of milk and vanilla extract until it’s thick but drizzle-able and use a spoon to drizzle it over the top of the streusel. Or, if you’re serving this pear cake for dessert, drizzle it with warm caramel.
Give It Some Crunch. Chopped walnuts would add some nuttiness and texture to this cake; you can add them in the batter or to the streusel. (If you add walnuts to the streusel, you may need to tent the cake with foil at some point during the baking process to keep them from burning.)