cooking.nytimes.com

Pear Crumb Cake

5.0(846)

When it comes to crumb cake, the cake itself is often an afterthought, with all the attention going to the moist brown-sugar crumbles on top. Not so here. This recipe, based on a sour cream pound cake, has a velvety texture and buttery flavor that’s good enough to stand on its own. Of course, the thick pile of large crumbs only sweetens the deal, as does the juicy layer of honey and lemon-spiked pears in between the cake and crumbs. You can bake this cake a day or two ahead; keep it loosely wrapped at room temperature (the refrigerator will make the crumbs soggy). And if you don’t like pears, feel free to substitute about a cup of any gently cooked fruit you do like – apples, fuyu persimmon, pineapple, blueberries, grapes, even leftover cranberry sauce – will all work nicely.

by Melissa Clark

Open original recipe

Breakfast, Snack, Cakes, Dessert

Servings

(8–12)

Total time

3h 30m

Calories / serving

517 kcal

Ingredients (23)

serves

1 tablespoon/14 grams unsalted butterbutter
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters honeyhoney
2 small or 1 1/2 large pears, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thickpear
1 teaspoon/5 milliliters fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmegnutmeg
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zestlemon
Pinch of saltsalt
1 1/3 cups/165 grams all-purpose flourflour
1/3 cup/65 grams dark brown sugar, lightly packedsugar
1/3 cup/65 grams light brown sugar, lightly packedsugar
1 teaspoon/8 grams ground cinnamoncinnamon
1/4 teaspoon/2 grams ground allspiceallspice
1/4 teaspoon/1 gram fine sea saltsalt
1 stick/113 grams unsalted butter, meltedbutter
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon/133 milliliters sour creamcream
3 large eggsegg
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups/185 grams all-purpose flourflour
3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugarsugar
3/4 teaspoon/3 grams baking soda
3/4 teaspoon/2 grams baking powder
1/2 teaspoon/3 grams fine sea saltsalt
1 stick/113 grams softened unsalted butter, cut into piecesbutter

01Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan; line with parchment paper and butter the paper.
02In a skillet, melt butter and honey. Add pears, lemons juice, nutmeg, zest and salt and sauté until the pears are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool.
03For the topping, whisk together flour, sugars, spices and salt in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until crumbs form.
04Whisk together sour cream, eggs and vanilla. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add softened butter and beat for 10 seconds to combine. Beat in egg mixture, continuing to beat until very smooth.
05Pour batter into pan and top with the pear slices, spreading them out evenly (if there is liquid in the pan with the pears, don’t add it). Use your fingers to squeeze together large crumbs from the topping and scatter evenly on top of pears.
06Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, until the cake is set and the center springs back when very gently pressed with a finger. A cake tester may come out with crumbs attached, but it shouldn’t be wet. Transfer cake to a wire rack and cool completely, at least 2 hours before serving. Cake can be made a day ahead.