Iron Skillet Pear Cake is an easy cake for January when you are looking for a little kitchen inspiration. Usually after Christmas, I am not the most enthusiastic baker. I’m a little burnt out. But Iron Skillet Pear cake is an easy one bowl cake that is a delicious coffee cake. Curl up with a slice when that blue norther blows in!
One Bowl Cake
Checking my recipe repertoire, I seem to have a few pear cake recipes. I love the way fresh pears hold their shape when baked. I also love how willing pears are to absorb the flavor of cinnamon or any other spice in pastry recipes. Pears are a personal favorite, obvs.
Home Baked Cake is the Best
You don’t have to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe. However, make sure whatever pan you use is 10”/25cm in diameter. I love the beautiful dense crust that results from cast iron skillets but a parchments lines cake pan will give you a more tender crust.
You could substitute other apples instead of the pears. Instead of almonds, you could use chopped pecans or walnuts. Blueberries are always a cozy winter choice. But what I really loved on top of this cake is the vanilla ice cream that slowly melts over a warm cake. Add a hot cup of coffee and you have a beautiful weekend moment.
The most important part when making Iron Skillet Pear Cake is to actually make it. Maybe we avoid making fresh cakes because it takes a little elbow grease and time. But life in January is good. Our blessings our counted and the Christmas tree has been put away. The year is just beginning. Now is the time for the real celebration – when we get back on track with our daily activities. The best times in life are always made better with a fresh cake
Iron Skillet Pear Cake is excellent in wintertime
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups sugar (260g)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (188g)
½ cup almond flour (48g)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (2g)
1 ½ tsp. baking powder (6g)
1 cup buttermilk (240ml)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
4 tbsp. butter, melted (57g)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (5ml)
Zest of 2 oranges
2 large pears, peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup blueberries (95g)
½ cup slivered almonds (48g)
Extra butter for skillet (about 1 tbsp./14g)
Ice cream or whipped cream for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom and baking powder in a large bowl, stirring until well mixed. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk, beaten eggs, melted butter, vanilla and orange zest into the center well. Using a fork around the edge of the well, work the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined.
Butter the interior of a 10”/25cm cast iron skillet and then pour in the batter. Arrange the pears and blueberries on top. Scatter over the slivered almonds.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.
Leave a Reply