Buttery Pear Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Swirl
This Pear Bundt Cake is a moist, spice-filled dessert with that “from-scratch” taste you’d expect to find in a bakery! Simple yellow cake mix, juicy canned pears, sour cream, and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg give you a soft texture and deep flavor, while the hidden cinnamon streusel swirl tucked inside adds a lovely crunch. It’s the perfect treat to share with a cup of coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
A Simple Slice of Comfort
I’ve always loved a good pound cake, but adding fruit takes it to a whole different level of moistness. This particular recipe is one of my favorites because pears happen to be one of the best fruits you can use in a cake, or at least I think so!
I’ll admit, sometimes I’m a bit of a rebel and use canned pears even when fresh pears are in season, because canned pears are consistently sweet and soft, which means every single slice of cake is just as good as the last! Plus, we use a little bit of that reserved pear juice in the batter to really drive home that fruit flavor.
If you’re a fan of this one, you’ll also love my Apple Crackle Cake recipe!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Yellow cake mix
- Canned pears in juice
- Large eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Butter, melted
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Tips for the Perfect Pear Bundt Cake
- The “Grease and Flour” Rule: Bundt pans have unique shapes with lots of nooks and crannies. To make sure your cake doesn’t stick, grease the pan generously with shortening or butter and give it a good dusting of flour (or use a baking spray that has flour in it).
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add your dry ingredients and wet ingredients together, mix just until smooth. Over-mixing can make the cake tough, and we want a soft, velvety texture.
- The Fold-In: When adding your chopped pears, use a spatula to gently fold them in by hand. This keeps the fruit from breaking up too much before it hits the oven.
- Cooling is Key: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10–15 minutes. If you try to flip it too soon, it might break; if you wait too long, the sugar can “glue” the cake to the pan. A wire rack is your best friend here to help the air circulate.
How to Make This Pear Bundt Cake
1. Prep the Streusel
In a small bowl, combine your brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir it with a fork until it looks like wet sand and holds together in small clumps. Set this aside; it’s the “hidden treasure” of the cake!
2. Mix the Batter
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream, vanilla, spices, and that reserved pear juice. Use an electric mixer to beat the batter until it’s silky and fully combined.
3. Add the Fruit
Gently fold those chopped pears into the batter. You want them evenly distributed so every person gets a bit of juicy pear in their slice of cake!
4. Layer the Pan
Pour about half of your cake batter into your prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle that cinnamon streusel mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Finally, carefully spoon the remaining batter over the streusel. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth it out so the streusel is completely covered.
5. Bake and Cool
Pop it in a 350°F oven for 50–55 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Let it rest in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving and Storage
Once the cake is cool, a simple dusting of powdered sugar on the top of the cake is all it needs to look beautiful. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, a drizzle of caramel sauce or a side of ice cream makes this a world-class dessert!
Keep your leftovers covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, if it lasts that long!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 13.25 oz box yellow cake mix
- 1 15 oz can pears in juice, drained and chopped (reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Streusel Swirl:
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Topping:
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan well.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter until crumbly. Set aside.
- Add cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and the reserved pear juice to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix until smooth and fully combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped pears until evenly distributed.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the batter layer.
- Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the streusel and spread gently to cover.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- Once cooled, dust the top generously with powdered sugar before serving.