Pears aren’t something that we buy often, but remembering the delicious little pear tart we sampled during Restaurant Day, I sought them out for a coffee cake. I was just looking for something simple to pack in Ed’s lunch for the week. The good news is that the peel is so delicate, that you can leave it in place, and they add a nice bit of moisture and flavor to the basic coffee cake.
If we were having this at home for dessert, it could be dressed up with a dollop of ajerkoniak, a boozy Polish custard. I also thing that my next batch will include a small package of marzipan or almond paste diced up. Almond makes everything better. What’s your favorite coffee cake?
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Pear Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
A moist pear cake with streusel topping
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1 large beaten egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 2 ripe pears like Bartlett, unpeeled, cored and chopped
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup oats
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ginger
- In another bowl, combine egg, milk and melted butter
- Pour into dry ingredients, add the pears and mix well, the batter will be very thick
- Spread batter into prepared pan.
- To make the topping, mix the sugars, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, flour, and oats, cut in the cold butter with your fingers until crumbs form. Sprinkle over batter
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden and dry on top
- Cool in pan before slicing
Notes
Variation: add diced almond paste or marzipan
You can substitute a 1 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated for the dried
Serve with ajerkoniak
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Lori
I have never heard of your boozy Polish topping, but since we eat what the kids eat — that may be the explanation!
polishhousewife
Lori,
Ah, yes, time to introduce a special menu for the staff! lol It’s similar to the Dutch liqueur, Advocaat, but thicker.
I had it at a friends house one morning, for second breakfast – a little cake and coffee before a bike ride. So of course, I had to try making it at home. The recipe made me nervous because it contains egg and milk and, you don’t refrigerate it. I think the spirytus is enough to kill any bacteria. Ed’s Polish colleagues confirmed my instructions, saying whatever you do, don’t put it in the refrigerator.