This vegan pear cake is light, fluffy and super moist. It's the perfect cake for beginners, looks beautiful and has a delicious hint of cinnamon, maple and lemon.
Disclosure: This recipe post is part of a paid collaboration with Maple from Canada UK. All opinions expressed are my own.
Why choose this recipe
- It's the perfect cake for beginner bakers
- Undetectably vegan
- Super fluffy and moist inside
- Foolproof recipe
- Easily accessible & staple ingredients
- Full step-by-step photo guide below
The Ingredients
Below are the ingredients you will need to bake this delicious vegan pear cake.
A few ingredient notes before we dive in:
Oat milk: this can be substituted for any other plant milk.
Flaxseed: make sure to use ground flaxseed. We will use this to create a vegan 'egg'.
Pears: use any variety of pear that you like. Do not worry if the pears aren't completely ripe yet. They will soften up and become sweeter when baked.
Maple syrup: a crucial ingredient that will add a rich, sweet flavour to your cake.
Step-by-step Instructions
This cake is super easy and fun to make. To make things even simpler I've got an easy visual guide for you below.
For full instructions and ingredients list for this dairy free pear cake, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
1. Combine flaxseed and water to make a vegan 'egg'. Set aside.
2. Combine all your dry ingredients.
3. Combine oil, milk, maple syrup and lemon juice.
4. Add flax egg to your wet ingredients.
5. Slowly pour your wet mixture into the centre of your dry mixture.
6. Mix gently until no more flour can be seen. Do not overmix.
7. Cut a pear into cubes and coat in flour and cinnamon. Add to your batter.
8. Pour the batter into a lined cake tin. Even out the top.
9. Slice a pear into thin slices.
10. Decorate the cake with pear slices.
11. Brush the top with maple syrup.
12. Sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Bake for 50-55 minutes at 338°F / 170°C (fan oven setting).
Expert Tips
1. Your vegan 'egg'
The vegan egg is a crucial part of this recipe. The cake simply won't work without it.
To make it all you need to do is combine ground flaxseed with boiling hot water. This last detail is super important! Make sure your water really is super hot. If it's not hot enough, the flaxseed won't set well.
Who knew making your own vegan 'egg' could be that simple, right?
2. Do not overmix
Remember to never overmix your batter. This tip goes for all cake recipes, not just this one.
You will need to be quick and gentle when making your batter. Simply combine the wet and dry mixtures until no more flour specs can be seen and then stop.
The more you mix, the less fluffy and airy your cake will end up being.
3. The golden glaze
Last but not least, I'm sharing my all-time favourite tip to make your cake look gorgeous, golden and shiny!
You will need to brush it with maple syrup before the bake and then again for the last 5 minutes of baking. This will create not just a stunning golden glaze but bring out a rich sweet flavour that perfectly complements the pear. It really is the perfect combo!
I've used my favourite maple syrup from Maple from Canada UK. It's unrefined, unprocessed, and available in several different grades (golden, amber, dark & very dark). I've previously used their maple syrup in my vegan pumpkin rolls recipe which is still one of my personal faves!
FAQs
Simply insert a wooden skewer in the middle of your cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked. If it doesn't come out clean, pop it back in for 5 minutes and check again.
Make sure you slice them very thin. Here's a handy video that shows you how.
First, ensure you’ve added your baking powder.
If you have you might have overmixed your dough which means the texture will stay tight and feel heavy.
Secondly, if the cake is underbaked it might lose some of the rise from the baking powder which will make it more dense.
Bake a little longer in the oven if the cake is still warm. If not leave as is and bake a little longer next time.
First, let it cool completely. Then store in an airtight container and eat within 4-5 days.
Sure. Simply let it cool completely, then cut into slices. Pop them in an airtight container and freeze. Eat within 2 to 3 months.
Make sure to wait until it cools down. This will make it a lot easier to cut.
Then use a sharp knife and cut into slices of your desired size. I find that a simple bread knife works very well.
Yes, absolutely. You can bake a vegan pear loaf cake using the exact same recipe. Simply just pour the batter into a lined loaf tin and bake for the same amount of time.
I used a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin.
Missing any ingredients?
Below are some of my ideas on how you could substitute certain ingredients in this cake:
- Olive oil – Can be substituted for any light vegetable oil (such as sunflower or rapeseed). Do not substitute for coconut oil as this will completely change the batter.
- Oat milk – Use any plant milk you have on hand such as almond, soy, hemp, etc. I used unsweetened oat milk in order to avoid any extra sugars. Avoid using coconut milk as the taste wouldn't complement the other flavours in the cake.
- Sugar – Choose white caster sugar for best results. In the US, caster sugar is sometimes called superfine sugar or baker's sugar. If desired, you can substitute it for brown sugar, but this might make the texture less fluffy.
Any other ingredients you’re missing at the moment? Get in touch via the comments below and I’ll see if I can find a good substitution for you!
Looking to try more similar recipes? You will love my:
Or you can check out my full desserts section here.
If you stuck with me until the end, thank you so much! Feel free to ask any questions or leave your feedback on my vegan pear cake in the comments section below. Reading your feedback and hearing about your remakes never fails to make my day!
Vegan Pear Cake
Equipment
- 20cm (8 inch) Round cake tin
- Baking paper
- Measuring scales or cups
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 3 tbsp flaxseed ground
- 100 ml boiling hot water
- 300 g plain white flour equals 2 cups
- 90 g caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 140 ml olive oil
- 120 ml unsweetened oat milk equals ½ cup
- 3 tbsp maple syrup I used amber maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pear skin removed
TO COAT THE PEAR CUBES
- 1 tsp cinnamon ground
- 1 tsp plain white flour
TO DECORATE
- 1 pear sliced
- 2 tsp maple syrup I used golden maple syrup
- 1 tbsp flaked almonds
OPTIONAL TOPPING
- 2 tsp maple flakes
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Pre-heat your fan oven to 338°F / 170°C. Heat to 374°F (190°C) if you're not using a fan setting.
- Add flaxseed and boiling hot water to a small bowl. Stir and set aside. This will create a flax egg.
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl.
- In a second bowl whisk together oil, milk, maple syrup and lemon juice.
- Add your flax egg to your oil mixture and mix well.
- Slowly pour the oil mixture into the centre of your flour mixture.
- Mix until no more flour specs remain, but do not overmix.
- Remove the pear skin. Then cut your pear into small cubes. Coat them in flour & cinnamon (see the section 'To Coat The Pear Cubes').
- Add the pear cubes to your mixture and stir gently.
- Line the bottom of a round cake tin with a layer of baking paper. Brush the sides with a layer of oil.
- Pour your mixture into the loaf tin and smooth out the top using a silicone spatula.
- Decorate with slices of pear, then brush pear slices with maple syrup and top cake off with flaked almonds.
- Bake at 338°F / 170°C (fan oven setting) for 50-55 minutes.
- Quickly remove from the oven and brush the entire top with a layer of maple syrup.
- Bake for another 5 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once baked, let cool completely. Top off with another layer of maple syrup and maple flakes if desired.
Notes
- See the step-by-step photos in the blog post above as your visual guide.
- This recipe has been tested using weight measurements (not cups). As always, I strongly recommend using weight measurements (both EU and US weights are stated in the recipe card). Cups vary in size and are thus considerably less exact.
- Make sure to not overmix your batter. Overmixing will create a rubbery instead of crumbly and light texture.
- Use a wooden or metal skewer inserted in the middle of your cake to check if it's baked. If your skewer comes out clean, the cake is baked. If you don't have a skewer, use a thin knife or a chopstick.
- The skewer didn't come out clean? Bake for another 5 minutes and test again.
- Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Want to freeze the cake? Slice, place in an airtight container and freeze. Eat within 2 to 3 months.
Rita Esther Beltran
This recipe is delicious, I can't stop eating this cake. Since I had it on the oven the whole apartment was smelling so so good. I love the simplicity of the ingredients I had everything home except for the pears. I replaced the caster sugar for coconut since that is what I had. Will definitely be making this cake again and again. You should try it as well.
Tajda Ferko
Thank you so much for your lovely review Rita, that means a lot! Glad to know it works so well with coconut sugar 🙂 Hope you have a lovely day! x
Linda
Great recipe! I'm new to vegan baking and this cake is really easy to make. I used apples instead of pears and it turned out sooo delicious and fluffy! Will definitely make it again 🙂
Tajda Ferko
Ohh how lovely, thank you so much for leaving such a lovely review, Linda! Glad to hear it worked so well with apples too xx
Marta
This recipe is truly wonderful! I made this cake for a family gathering of vegans and non-vegans and it turned out to be such a hit! Even the most sceptical family members loved it and it was the first cake to disappear off the table 🙂 I highly recommend it for any occasion.
Tajda Ferko
Ahh thank you so much Marta, I'm honestly so happy to hear that! The first cake to disappear off the table - what a fab compliment! xx
kat
milk is not listed on the recipe?
I cant seem to find it yet it is in the description of making it part.
Tajda Ferko
Hiya lovely, the oat milk measurement is listed between the olive oil and the maple syrup - the 9th on the list 🙂
Jen
i’m not a big cinammon fan, but love the taste of fresh pears. Would you be able to suggest something to replace the cinammon?
Also would aquafaba work instead of the flax egg?
Tajda Ferko
Hi lovely, I would recommend cardamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cover, allspice, etc. There's definitely a lot of room for experimentation with this so feel free to get creative! 🙂 Haven't tried it with aquafaba just yet, but I think it would most likely work well (it might change the texture a little bit though).
Tonnie Bruner
I have frozen pears - would that work? I also was thinking to add some frozen blueberries - your thought please and how would I do the ratio's? thank you
Tajda Ferko
Hi Tonnie, I think frozen pears would definitely work well if you let them thaw (defrost) at room temperature. After that, make sure to cut them into small pieces like the recipe says. Blueberries would work too - you could do a mix, for example half pear and half blueberries (ratio 1:1 in weight). Would really love to hear how it turns out!
Didi
I'm new to vegan baking so wasn't expecting this to be anything to write home about, but I was wrong, it's a great recipe! I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for half the flour and it baked up nicely in 45 minutes. Thank you - I'll make this again and again.