Description

A tender 9-inch coffee cake folded with ripe-but-firm pear slices and topped with a crisp brown sugar streusel. Cozy cardamom warmth, slice-worthy texture.

Ingredients

Scale

All-purpose flour: 1 3/4 cups (219 g), plus 1 tablespoon (8 g) for tossing pears (optional)
Granulated sugar: 3/4 cup (150 g)
Brown sugar (for cake): 2 tablespoons (25 g)
Baking powder: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Fine salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Ground cardamom: 1 teaspoon
Ground cinnamon (optional): 1/2 teaspoon
Egg: 1 large (about 50 g)
Vanilla extract: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Plain yogurt or sour cream (thick): 1/2 cup (120 g)
Milk: 1/4 cup (60 ml)
Unsalted butter, melted then cooled: 6 tablespoons (85 g)
Pears, ripe-but-firm: 2 medium (about 1 lb / 450 g), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/3-inch (8 mm) slices
Streusel:
- All-purpose flour:
- 1/3 cup (43 g)
- Brown sugar:
- 1/2 cup (110 g), packed
- Ground cinnamon (optional):
- 1/2 teaspoon
- Fine salt:
- 1/8 teaspoon
- Unsalted butter, cold (cubed):
- 4 tablespoons (57 g)
- Chopped almonds (optional):
- 1/4 cup (28 g)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Set the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment. (This prevents sticking and helps with clean slices.)
Make the streusel: In a bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon (if using), and salt. Add cold cubed butter. Rub or pinch the butter into the dry mixture until clumpy crumbs form. If using almonds, stir them in. Set aside.
Prepare the pears: Slice pears into 1/3-inch (8 mm) slices. If your pears are very juicy, toss them with 1 tablespoon (8 g) of the measured flour to help absorb extra moisture. (Skip this if pears feel fairly dry.)
Mix the cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon (if using). In a separate bowl, whisk egg, vanilla, yogurt (or sour cream), milk, and melted cooled butter.
Combine: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until smooth and no dry streaks remain. Fold in the pear slices gently.
Assemble: Spread batter into the prepared pan. Scatter streusel evenly over the top, making sure you see clumps in several spots.
Bake: Bake 45–55 minutes, or until the center is set and springs back lightly, and the streusel looks dry and deeper golden brown. (If the top browns early, loosely tent with foil for the last 10–15 minutes.)
Cool: Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Serve: Serve warm or at room temperature. For best texture, slice after it cools so the pears stop steaming the crumb.

Notes

Choose pears that feel firm and ripe (they should give slightly when pressed at the stem end). If you only have very soft pears, reduce slicing thickness slightly and bake as soon as the batter is assembled. The streusel should be clumpy—small, fine crumbs will bake up softer.