Today, I’ve got a beautiful pear and walnut cream cheese coffee cake that is packed full of flavours. A layer of cream cheese pairs so well with the spices, nuts and pears. The perfect dessert after any meal or to pair with a cup of tea or coffee.
Coffee cake is such a classic dessert and for good reason. I grew up with coffee cakes and I just love the versatility of it. So many flavours, fruits and spices can be concocted. This particular cake I came up with when I had some pears that I needed to use up. I hate wasting fruit but nobody likes to eat a mushy pear, even if it’s only slightly mushy, so I like to come up with new ways to use them and reduce waste. If you have a bunch of really overripe pears, check out my chocolate chip pear sauce muffins to use them up.
This pear and walnut cream cheese coffee cake is the best combination of beautiful fruit, nuts, spices, cream cheese and buttery goodness. I love anything with a streusel on top, especially when I’m drinking a cup of tea. Not going to like, when testing this cake, I ate it for breakfast multiple mornings with my cup of tea and I have zero regrets!
If you’d like some other desserts that pair well with a cup of tea, or coffee if that’s your jam, try my pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting or my Nutella filled heart puff pastries.
Should I Peel the Pears?
For this pear and walnut cream cheese coffee cake, I personally don’t as I find it tedious plus you won’t notice the peel once the cake is baked. It will turn very soft along with the fruit. I also just hate the extra waste peeling the fruit creates.
However, if you despise the skin, it’s absolutely your choice to peel!
Can I Use Overripe Pears?
Yes, the texture of the pears will obviously be slightly mushier but it will still be delicious. That’s actually initially how I developed this cake as I had some pears that were delicious but going rotten and soft a few days after I bought them. I really wanted to use them in a cake and decided to try them in this coffee cake.
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
Baking Tips
- Make sure the pears you’re using are ripe, otherwise they won’t have as much flavour.
- Peeling the skin is optional and I never do it. You can’t even tell it’s there once the cake is baked.
- Using room temperature ingredients allows everything to properly combine and will lead to a better bake.
- Make sure not to overmix the batter or you cake won’t turn out light and fluffy.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Cake Recipes
Today’s song pairs some of the best voices/artists of our time and is just a beautiful song. Here’s Anywhere Away From Here by Rag’n’Bone Man & P!nk. Happy Baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Pear and Walnut Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Layer
- 225g/8oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
Streusel
- 1/2 cup (60g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup (60g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (25g) chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter
Cake
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (45g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (50g) chopped walnuts
- 250g/9oz finely chopped pears, weight after coring, no need to peel (about 2 medium pears)
Instructions
- Line or spray an 8×8 baking pan and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350℉.
Cream Cheese Layer
- In a small mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Mix together with a hand mixer or a spoon until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
Streusel
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Mix together, then stir in the melted 1/4 cup butter. The mixture should be clumpy. Set aside.
Cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, on medium speed, cream together the 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar for 3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Add in the milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated, making sure you scrape down the sides and very bottom of the bowl.
- Add the 2 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix on low speed until almost incorporated. Add in the walnuts and chopped pears. Fold together until just mixed with a spatula.
- Pour half you batter into your prepared pan. Then, add the cream cheese layer and spread it as evenly as you can. Add the rest of the cake batter, also making sure it's even. Sprinkle the streusel over top.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200℉. You can also insert a toothpick but the cream cheese layer can make it hard to tell if your cake batter is still wet. I find going by temperature much easier.
- Allow cake to fully cool before slicing. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and enjoy!
