A rich, super moist bundt cake made with brown sugar, diced pears and dried cherries, then dressed up with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
For Christmas I asked for Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan and I finally found time to bake my first recipe from it. I asked the Tuesdays with Dorie’s bakers what their favorite recipes from Baking were and was told this cake was definitely a must-try. (In fact, I have a list 16 must-try recipes that I’ve saved and can’t wait to try.)
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
I made a couple of small changes to the recipe. I didn’t have any buttermilk, so I substituted yogurt. I love dried cherries in baked goods and they were a perfect substitute for the raisins. I also baked it in two half size bundt pans so I could serve one and freeze one for later. Its’ so great to have dessert stowed away in the freezer to serve if company drops by.
I’m linking this post up to this month’s Monthly Mingle “Berries and Cherries” hosted by Chris at Mele Cotte.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you will get great new recipes from us every week!
Brown Sugar Pear and Cherry Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup yogurt room temperature
- 2 medium pears peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice
- ½ cup dried cherries
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350º F. *Butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. If your pan is not nonstick, dust the interior of the pan with flour, then tap out the excess. (Don't place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate through the Bundt's inner tube.) *I use two half sized bundts sprayed with baking spray with flour.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the yogurt alternately - add the flour in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients). Mix only until the ingredients are incorporated and scrape down the bowl as needed. With a rubber spatula, stir in the pears and cherries. Scrape the batter into the pan(s) and smooth the top with the spatula.
- Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. (If the cake looks as if it's browning too fast, cover the top loosely with a foil tent.) I baked the half size bundts for 35 minutes.
- Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature on the rack.
- When you are ready to serve, dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar.
Notes
More delicious bundt cake recipes:
Good-For-You Chocolate Pound Cake, Barbara Bakes
Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Barbara Bakes
Tiger Cake, Vintage Mixer
Lime Bundt Cake, Completely Delicious
Lemon Bliss Bundt, Food Librarian
Lynda
Your cake looks fantastic, moist and perfect. I love that you subbed cherries for the raisins. We don’t care for raisins in baked goods at all.
I didn’t even know you could buy half size bundt pans Barbara. I’m really behind!
Jersey Girl Cooks
This bundt cake looks perfect to have with a cup of coffee or tea.
Chris
This looks wonderful! And, it’s a Dorie recipe, so how can you so wrong? It’s going to rock the Monthly Mingle. Thanks so much!
Kim
I actually love that you subbed dried cherries in place of raisins. I prefer dried cherries over raisins any day. This cake looks so dense and delicious.
Chaya
I came over to find some good recipes to make and the first one, I look at is just for me. Please, don’t tell me, you weren’t thinking of me when you baked this. 🙂
This is just the kind of cake, we love.
Claire @ Claire K Creations
I have a few pears in my fridge waiting to be used up, this might just be perfect. I’m not a cherry fan though. What else do you think would work well or could I just use the pears on their own?
Barbara
Hi Claire, the pears are very mild tasting in the cake so any dried fruit that adds a little bit of flavor and texture would be nice. The original recipe calls for prunes sniped in pieces or dark or golden raisins.
Sally @ sally's baking addiction
this looks incredible Barbara. I love the combination of pear and cherries!
Debbie
This just looks so good. I love baking Bundt cakes because they are fairly simple and go a long way.
Becky at Vintage Mixer
This sounds amazing. I need to make bundt cakes more often! Pear and Cherry are two of my favorite flavors!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
wow this is a keeper! I can’t wait to try this
mimi
Dori has some great recipes in that book. Your take on her cake looks delicious.
Mimi
Sue
Love bundt cakes, and yours is no exception!
cindy
I do love Dories section on Bundt Cakes–they are all winners. I also love her coconut cake, it’s amazing.
The half size bundt pans are perfect, one to eat and one to share!
Melanie
The combination of cherries and pears sounds perfectly yummy! I love pears, but I don’t bake too many things that include pear in the ingredient list, except there is this one quick bread that I make every fall, that I really love, and it has pears in it. I don’t have that cookbook yet, so thank you for the recipe (idea) from it!!!
Rosa
Bundt cakes are wonderful and those are no exception. What a delightful combination of ingredients.
Cheers,
Rosa
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Yum! Such a fabulous cake. Love this!
Ambika
Love this cake! I love using brown sugar in cakes, it makes them so moist and flavorful. My fav recipe is Dorie Greenspan’s Brown Sugar and blueberry bundt cake!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl
I also love dried cherries, so I ususally have some on hand. What a great idea to freeze one of the cakes. I need to find some of those half-sized pans! I know you do a lot of bundt cake baking…what brand of pans do you prefer?
Barbara
I got the Nordic Ware Pro Form 6 cup Bundt Pan for Christmas this year. http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Pro-Form-Bundt/dp/B000BRGMUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325209329&sr=8-1
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl
Thank you!
Lyndsey@TheTinySkillet
This looks great Barbara. I love dried cherries, my mom brings me some from Michigan every time she comes down to visit here in Florida. I like that you can find them pretty easy now other than Michigan. I have a pan that has two attached smaller bundt pans that I have never used yet. So this is perfect!!
Miriam @ Overtime Cook
I love bundt cakes! This looks delicious, bookmarking it.