Pear Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Pear Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 2 ¾ cups (350g) flour (, all-purpose / plain); 1 ⅔ cups (330g) dark brown sugar; 2 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground cloves; 1 tbsp baking powder; 2 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; ¾ cup + 1 heaped tbsp (200g) unsalted butter (, firm and cubed); 3 large eggs (, lightly beaten); 2 tbsp honey; ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (200ml) whole milk; 2 tsp orange zest; 4 tbsp crystallized ginger (or stem ginger, finely diced); 1 bottle (750ml) red wine (, I used Merlot); 2 ¼ cups (450g) sugar (, granulated); 4 cardamom pods; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 star anise; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; Strip of orange peel; 5 firm pears (, peeled, stem left on); 24 oz (680g) full-fat cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese); 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar (, sifted (= icing sugar)); 1 cup (240ml) cream (heavy / double); 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or stem ginger syrup)

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:50min

Looking for a Thanksgiving dessert that’s a little different this year? This pear layer cake is the answer! Spiced cake layers layered with tender poached pears and a silky cream cheese frosting, creating a dessert that’s both got WOW factor in spades!

Updated at: Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:40:44 GMT