Pear Gingerbread Loaf Cake

Pear gingerbread loaf cake is a magical way to celebrate fall fruit with all its cozy spices. Serve at any time of day, and honor some of the last fresh fruits of the season and the warmth only gingerbread can bring.

Inspiration for Pear Cake

I spend quite a few weeks staying at one of my brother and sister-in-law’s houses, in Portland, Oregon throughout the year. I love walking through the neighborhoods and even have certain routes I usually take. In the summertime, these routes tend to widen greatly due to all the amazing fruit trees people have.

I had scoped out this beautiful pear tree and walked past it for a few days in a row before the owner, Flint, came riding up on his bike one day as I had just walked past. I turned around and asked for his permission to pick. He was more than happy to share his abundance of pears.

I left a dozen behind at my family’s house and when I returned, they were ripening very quickly. No recipes or photos were worked up in my mind and nothing was coming to me in the moment, but I had to do something.

Of course, there was no way I would allow them to go to waste. I decided to puree them all and just use them in recipes instead of applesauce. The puree turned out SOOO dang delicious with absolutely nothing added to it!!

As autumn rolled around, gingerbread became the clear answer.

Pears to Use

I don’t believe it makes a BIG difference what type of pear you use for the puree in this recipe. It is not required that you add additional pears to the top of the loaf cake, but if you do…

Bosc or Anjou pears are the preferred pear to use to add to the top of this loaf cake. There are two ways you can go about adding the pears to the top of the cake.

You can buy very ripe pears and top the loaf cake off with them, or you can buy them a touch under-ripe and poach them first. Either way, you need to peel and core them first. I highly recommend not leaving whole and placing inside of the cake. I tried this method and the low carb flours are not strong enough to hold the weight of the pears.

My recommendation is to slice them in thin slices and arrange them in a relatively thin layer on top. Cutting them in half did work, but the cake was still unstable.

What you will need:

• Pears, about 3-4
• Shortening, butter flavored
• Sweetener
• Brown sweetener
• Molasses (optional)
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Allspice, ground
• Cinnamon, ground
• Ginger, ground
• Clove, ground
• Nutmeg, ground
• Coriander, ground (optional)
• Almond flour
• Baking soda
• (If Poaching the Pears, optional)
• Water
• White wine, such as Chardonay, Moscato, or Riesling
• Cardamom pods
• Cinnamon stick
• Vanilla pod
• Cloves
• Fresh ginger
• Sweetener

Pear Gingerbread Loaf Cake Nutrition Facts

Each loaf serves about 10. Each contains approximately 216 calories, 18 grams of fat, 3 grams of net carbs, and 7.2 grams of protein. These calculations do not include the addition of garnishes or optional ingredients, nor the extra flour and shortening used to grease the pan.

These numbers are provided in good faith, are not concrete, and are calculated to the best of our ability.

How to make Pear Gingerbread Loaf Cake

For the Pears:

Peel and core the pears. Cut into thin slices or preferred shape. If poaching, prepare the poaching liquid in a small sauce pot. Peel and slice the ginger and add to the water mixture. Add all other ingredients and bring to a simmer.

If you want to poach the pears but don’t want to use wine, use a sugar free apple cider or all substitute all water and add additional spices.

Place the prepared pears into the poaching liquid for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack to drain.

For the cake:

Turn the oven to 350°. Grease an 8×4 loaf pan with shortening and dust with almond or coconut flour.

Puree about one and a half pears and set aside.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the shortening with the sweeteners for five minutes. Add one egg at a time.

Combine all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and mix. Add to the shortening mixture, one half at a time. Add the vanilla, molasses (if using), and pear puree. Mix the ingredients together until well combined, then transfer to the loaf pan and spread out evenly. Add the pears on top of the cake, place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test.

Serve with whipped cream, ice, cream, or crème anglaise.

Have you made this RECIPE? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Share your photos and tag @hungerforspice on Instagram and hashtag it #hungerforspice.

Join our email list! You’ll receive the lastest email each time a new recipe comes out.

Looking for more great recipes? Check out Pumpkin Bread and Gingerbread Cookies.

Recipe Card powered by