Pear Streusel Coffee Cake
This Pear Streusel Coffee Cake is chock full of fruit and finished off with a crunchy pecan topping. Perfect while pears are ripe, sweet and juicy.
Pear Streusel Coffee Cake: A Winning Recipe
About 35 volunteers for our local Decorators’ Show House gathered at my house at the end of October. These were all hardworking ladies that truly know how to give back to the community. I served up this pear streusel coffee cake and there was nothing but crumbs left on the platter, and there were tons of recipe requests. Moist with an abundance of pears, each bite tantalized the taste buds with fruit and warm spices of cinnamon and ginger.
This Pear Streusel Coffee Cake would be terrific as a holiday gift or a gesture of kindness for a friend or someone in need.
Giving Comfort
As Thanksgiving approaches, our family focuses on gratitude and helping those in need. In elementary school, my children attached a construction paper leaf to the tree in the cafeteria stating what they were thankful for.
Nick most likely wrote “ham” on his leaf one year, one of his childhood obsessions. Tom was probably more politically correct and scrawled “God” or “family” on his oak or maple shaped cut out. His first-grade teacher predicted he’d grow up to be a priest. Katie certainly mentioned puppies and kittens.
My gratitude has always focused on my dear family, friends and the laughter that fills my day. But this time of year also brings the need to give comfort to others, those less fortunate due to illness, loss of work or even the side effects of aging including immobility and depression.
Things you may need for this Pear Coffee Cake recipe:
More Coffee Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
- Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
- Raspberry Coffee Cake
- Apple Ginger Coffee Cake
- Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake
- Butter Streusel Coffee Cake
- More Brunch Recipes
Pear Streusel Coffee Cake
A streusel topped coffee cake filled with chopped pears
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups chopped ripe,peeled and cored pears
Topping
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Grease 10-inch diameter springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and oil. Set aside 1 cup of mixture for topping.
- Fold in the chopped pears to the remaining mixture. Stir in the egg, vanilla, buttermilk, baking soda, and baking powder. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the reserved crumbs and the chopped pecans. Sprinkle over top of coffee cake.
- Bake for one hour or till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack then remove sides of the springform pan to serve.
Notes
Adapted from The Inn on Sea Street recipe
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 276Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g
66 Comments on “Pear Streusel Coffee Cake”
Hi Liz: So happy to see your site. I love to bake and I’m always looking for NEW recipes.Tell me plz.if you know of a spice to use instead of cinnamon in struzzel coffee cake? I have someone that cinnamon hurts, but loves coffee cakes.
Hi, Nancy! So glad you found my blog. That’s a tough one—but I think I’d double the ginger and add a bit of nutmeg, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon. Hope that helps!!!
Hi,
What do you think about using cardamom in place of the cinnamon?
Thanks,
Alisha
Alisha, I’ve only used cardamom in small amounts along with other spices, but it’s yummy with pears so it should work well. I’d probably take the cautious route and use part cinnamon and part cardamom, but that’s because it isn’t something I regularly use 🙂 Please report back on how it works!
I made this last weekend and it only lasted a couple days. It was so tasty. Hubby asked me to make it again this weekend but we don’t have anymore pears on hand so I substituted them for apples. It was still heavenly!
The only change I had to make was not having a springform pan handy so I used a 9×13 glass dish. I will absolutely be making this again.
YUM! I love the idea of using apples, too! Thanks so much for reporting back, Kate. I’m so delighted you and your husband enjoyed it!!
I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday cake. He loves pears and anything’s streuesal. It was a hit. It is delicious, light, moist, not too dense n it is crispy on the outside. I didn’t use nuts, as my kids aren’t fans of nuts. I used oats instead.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! What a great idea for a birthday cake. Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Cheryl 🙂
Simply delicious!!!! Made this for the holidays ????
Very easy to follow. 4 stars!!!
Oh, I’m so glad, Denise! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!
If I could give this 10 stars, I would! This came out unbelievably good! Rave reviews for our day after Christmas celebration with the in-laws! I highly recommend!
Hooray! So glad it was such a big hit! Thanks for taking the time to report back, Mary.
I’ve been saving wine corks for a few years hoping to do something with them. Thanks to this post I now know what to do. I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to this worthy cause. Thank you Liz for this info and the yummy recipe.
Lovely coffeecake, Liz. I imagine it would make a beautiful dessert as well.
Lis, this is gorgeous! It’s making me wish I had a cup of coffee and a slice beside me right now!
I have a bit of an obsession with your streusel coffee cake.
This is my kind of dessert – so awesome!
Lovely sentiment. And this cake is so totally up my alley! 🙂
This cake looks amazing! I love the crumbly topping.
Hey, I mean, I’m grateful for ham, too 🙂 Without it, my sandwich today for lunch would just be bread and mustard. hahaha. Great looking coffee cake, Liz!
What a wonderful cause to support! Beautiful post, Liz. Your coffee cake looks delicious and I bet would be perfect as an addition to Thanksgiving dessert.
What a rainy day coffee cake, delicious recipe! 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I love how your son said ‘ham’. Clearly he’s not Jewish! I love the idea of thanksgiving and only wish we celebrated it here. I do love the concept behind that mission – it’s always good to help those less fortunate than ourselves. That’s a great looking dessert with a wonderful topping xx
Of course, I am wondering what Tom is doing now…Father Tom???
Thank you for sharing your very personal and heatwarming story about how Meals on Wheels helped your Dad. That had to be a God send to you and your family.
Love this cake, too. Thank goodness your friends prodded you enough to SHARE the recipe!!
I need to try this wine!! The Gallo pairings seem right on!!
I can’t wait to make this! Perfect for a wintery day.
Delicious cake!!
I looooooove coffee cakes, and actually I don’t remember myself making one with pears.
Pinnine
I’m thankful for YOU and this wonderful recipe! And I’ll write that on a maple leaf for the tree!
Hi Liz,
Pear AND streusel??? Making this today or tomorrow…what kind of pears did you use? Would any work? I love Comice, but not sure if they’d get too mushy.
Thanks!
Absolutely gorgeous! Wish I had a slice right now! I just love the strusel!
A perfect for fall pear dessert! Yum!
I don’t bake with pears often enough. I would LOVE this coffee cake. I love cake with fruit and I love pears – win!
Perfect coffee cake for the autumn evening..with a nice cup of tea 🙂
What a scrumptious looking coffee cake, love that streusel!
Oh wow! Anything with streusel topping has my attention – love this gorgeous cake!
This reminds me of a recipe that my grandma used to make, but I never actually got her recipe. I can’t wait to give this a try…looks delicious!
I have never tried this combination before. This is such a perfect afternoon tea cake treat. Bookmarking it, so that when I have more time to bake snacks for tea, this will be in my list :). Have a wonderful week ahead! Cheers, Jo
Oh my goodness, so chock full of wholesome yumminess, Liz. Perfect celebration of the pear! Bravo to Gallo, too, for supporting Meals on Wheels….P.s. Love your young son’s thankfulness for ham =) Tee hee.
Lizzy,
Your coffee cake looks delicious. I love moscato wine and use it in my Italian Wine Cookies.
Annamaria
Streusel is my ultimate comfort food. Top it with streusel and I’ll devour it every time. I love that used pears in this. Madison made a pear pie last year that has become our favorite by far. We love it more than apple! Hard to believe, but true. I need to make this coffee cake for breakfast! Looks fantastic, Liz!
I think you must be the busiest baker and cook!! Love to see your kitchen – bet it is gorgeous. Mine is needing updating…too busy to do anything about it for another couple of years at least. 🙂 I can barely keep up with you and your prolific, wonderful posts, Liz. This is beautiful as per usual.
Amazingly Pearfully Delish.
Liz, you can do ANYTHING)))!!! xxx
This cake is absolutely stunning. I’m digging pears right now.
I looooove streusel cake, that topping is my favorite part!
Meals on wheels does such great work – it really is a lifeline for people who aren’t able to prepare their own meals.
And I’m nor surprised there were nothing but crumbs left of this coffee cake! If I’d seen it on a plate, I would have asked for the recipe too.
I love learning about this Gallo campaign and it always feels good to give back to community. This coffee cake won my heart! I really adore the presentation and the crunchy pecan topping is to die for.
Liz, I have a go-to gluten-free coffee cake that I think would pair so well with your pear and ginger flavors. I have to try it! And it is so funny what kids are thankful for, but as long as we get them to think about it, that’s all that matters.
Forget #SundaySupper — I need these with my morning coffee! Just gorgeous, Liz!
Holy Yum! Your coffee cake looks amazing and I just want to spoon off that topping. I love it!
Delicious. We do need to remember others this time of year. It’s easier during the holidays but we need to keep the reason for the season throughout the year.
This cake looks so good. It is difficult to find pear cakes. This one looks easy and delicious and perfect for Fall. the wine pairing is a great idea.
Oh man…I love that I can eat this for breakfast OR dessert. I definitely would want a few slices!!!
Wow! Your streusel cake looks amazing! I love wine too, so I really enjoyed your post!:)
Have a great day, Liz:)
This is a wonderful campaign, and I am very glad to know about it. Our family too has had loved ones who stayed much healthier due to Meals on Wheels, so I am grateful to hear about Gallo’s generous donation. And this coffee cake is the kind of thing that I just adore – great recipe!
This cake is gorgeous and is even more that you made this for your community volunteers !!
I love that you made this for your community volunteers! Who wouldn’t love it, Liz?! I need to follow you and make this for a good crowd 🙂
Liz!!! This cake is gorgeous!!! love learning about this Every Cork counts campaign by Gallo. . I love it when companies and brands actually do something and give back!!! Definitely helping to promote this one today! love this!
Odd as it may sound, I have never baked with pear. Your recipe looks perfect to begin with and I am tempted to bake it right away. Thanks for sharing.
This coffee cake certainly looks comforting. This time of year always makes me slow down and realize everything I have and why I am so lucky in this world.
This is a beautiful cake…. I don’t drink wine, but I can see how it pairs well with wine. My hubby is the wine connoisseur in the family… his favorite is Cabernet Sauvignon 🙂
My streusel loving heart just went pitter patter.
So fruity, buttery and nutty! I would love a slice for my afternoon tea, Liz.
While I do enjoy all sweets… I’m most drawn to these types of coffee cakes. I think it’s because they were what G-Mom-B would make most often using up fruit she had on-hand. This sounds like a great cake Liz!
PS-I’m thankful for ham too:@)
Not that I need an excuse to drink wine, but will have to open a few extras this upcoming holiday. That coffee cake looks fabulous. Sounds like you and your friends had a blast. Hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving.
-Gina-
A slice of yummy crumby, “peary” and “pecany” cake for me, please! Er…can I take the whole cake instead?!!
Gourmet Getaways xx
What a great cause this is!!!I remember my grandpa was not able to remember anything due to Alzheimer’s disease so he was not able to even make a cup of hot tea 🙁 May he RIP. Now for your recipe, looks so great and moist, I’m thinking of making this in a Thanksgiving gathering here. Will sure let you know, thanks for sharing.