This Vegan Pear Ginger Cake is full of brown sugar and spices and is topped with a simple maple glaze. It is the perfect easy cake recipe for Fall!
I love pears even more than I love apples. They are sweet and juicy and so delicious. But, for some reason, tend to bake with apples more. I have a recipe for Vegan Apple Spice Layer Cake, Vegan Dutch Apple Pie Galette and even a Vegan Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake!
But somehow I only have one other pear recipe here on Earthly Provisions. Its a delicious single serving Vegan Pear Crumble. And, when I realized it was the lone pear recipe, I knew I had to add another. Enter this Vegan Pear Ginger Cake.
This cake is soft, moist and absolutely delicious. And its easy to make and requires no buttercream frosting!
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Ingredient Notes
Pears: I recommend Bosc or Bartlett pears for this cake.
Vegan Butter: I love to use either Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks or Soy-Free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks in my baking.
Spices: I used a combination of ginger and cinnamon in this Vegan Pear Cake.
Turbinado Sugar: Turbinado helps to keep the pear slices on top from drying out.
Variations
If you want even more Autumn vibes, swap the ginger and cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice!
How to Prepare the Pears
This Vegan Pear Ginger Cake recipe uses 2 pears. Ideally the pears will be ripe but still firm
For the first pear, just grate it on the large side of a box grater and scoop it into a measuring cup. We want half of a cup of grated pear for the cake batter. No need to even peel this one!
For the second pear, peel it, then cut it into quarters. Then, remove the core using a paring knife. Next, cut the quarters into about ¼-inch thick slices.
Instructions
This Vegan Pear Ginger Cake is super simple to make. Here is how:
First, in a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix them together and set aside.
Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the vegan butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Next, add the non-dairy milk, grated pear and vanilla and mix on low until combined. The mixture will look broken, here, and thats okay!
Now, add the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix on low until a batter forms.
Then, remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold the batter a few times to ensure the bottom is evenly mixed.
Next, scrape the batter into a prepared 8" round cake pan and use a butter knife or offset spatula to even it out.
Finally, top with the pear slices in a circular pattern, then press them down into the batter, top with turbinado sugar and bake!
How to Make Vegan Maple Glaze
The vegan maple glaze for this cake is super quick and easy. It comes together in seconds!
First, in a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of non-dairy milk and vanilla.
Then, whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add the remaining teaspoon of non-dairy milk.
And that's it! Spoon it over the cooled Vegan Pear Ginger Cake and serve.
Special Equipment
You will need either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer for this recipe.
Expert Tips
Press the pear slices into the batter after you arrange them on top. This along with the sprinkle of sugar on top will keep them from drying out.
Be sure to fold the batter with a rubber spatula a few times after removing the bowl from the mixer. the bottom of the batter will not be fully incorporated.
Storage
To store the Vegan Pear Cake, cover the cake and keep ar room temperature for up to three days.
Or, slice the cake, place it into an airtight container and freeze for up to a month.
Looking for Easy Fall Baking Recipes?
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Crunch Bread
📖 Recipe
Vegan Pear Cake with Ginger and Maple Glaze
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 8" Round Cake Pan
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Box Grater
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt Half this amount if using table salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 10 tablespoon Vegan Butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed
- ¾ Cup Non-Dairy Milk I used oat milk
- ½ Cup Grated Pear see note
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
To Top the Cake
- 1 Large Pear, peeled, cored and sliced into ¼" slices
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar see note
For the Maple Glaze
- ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1-2 teaspoon Non-Dairy Milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan by greasing it and inserting a parchment circle into the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Stir and set aside.2 Cups Flour, 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt, 2 teaspoon Ground Ginger, 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the vegan butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.10 tablespoon Vegan Butter, room temperature, 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed
- Add the milk, grated pear, and vanilla and mix on low until well combined. The mixture will look broken here and thats okay.¾ Cup Non-Dairy Milk, 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ½ Cup Grated Pear
- Add the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix on low until the batter forms. Then, remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula for fold the batter a few times to make sure the bottom evenly incorporated.
- Scrape the batter into a prepared cake pan and use a knife to evenly spread it out. Then, top with the pear slices arranged in a circle. Press the pear slices into the cake batter, then sprinkle the top of the cake with turbinado sugar.1 Large Pear, peeled, cored and sliced into ¼" slices, 1 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar
- Bake in a 350*F oven for 63-67 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then flip upside down onto a cooling rack, then right side up onto a plate or cake stand.
To Make the Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of non-dairy milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Add the remaining teaspoon if the glaze is too thick½ Cup Powdered Sugar, 1 ½ tablespoon Maple Syrup, ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1-2 teaspoon Non-Dairy Milk
- Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cake and serve!
Ram Nand says
Hello Megan,
This is the best cake I've ever baked! It was moist and so delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This recipe is going in my collection.
Ram