Pear Hazelnut Cake With Rosemary Honey Glaze

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones where you take something you already love, and make it EVEN BETTER. I’ve been in love with my delicious apple cake with honey glaze for years. Dense, moist, chock full o’spiced apples and finely-chopped walnuts, it’s a work of art. And then I took it up a level by swapping out the apples for pears (one of my favorite fruits), resulting in this pear cake.

But then after a while, something got stuck in my mind and I started to think…how would this taste with hazelnuts? They have such a sweet, toasty flavor that seemed it would pair nicely with the pears. And I’d just made some rosemary simple syrup for a cocktail recipe and decided to throw some of that into the glaze.

I was totally in love with the flavor combo and the texture that the changes produced! If you’re in the mood for something deliciously hearty and fall-like, this is your guy!

Make the honey glaze first, even a few hours ahead if you want. Whisk the honey and milk (and rosemary syrup) into the powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside, it will thicken up as it sets.

The rosemary simple syrup really adds something, and is SO easy to make. You can see how here, it only takes 5 minutes!

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease or spray a 9×13 pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the diced pears, walnuts, vanilla, and cinnamon, and set aside.

Finally, fold in the pear mixture. If your pears are super juicy then this will make the batter kind of normal, otherwise your batter will still be very thick (which is normal for this recipe).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Immediately after removing from the oven, poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick, then drizzle the glaze over it. You can eat it right away, but I’d let the glaze set up a little if you can.

The cake can be wrapped tightly and stored for 3 to 5 days. It’s best leftover when warmed up for about 10 seconds in the microwave. I love that this pear hazelnut cake is a slightly special seasonal take on my beloved apple walnut cake!

Other hearty (and not-too-sweet) cake recipes you’ll love:

Pear Hazelnut Cake with Rosemary Honey Glaze

for the cake:

3 cups of diced pears (any kind is fine; ripe & juicy is better)
1 cup of lightly toasted, finely-chopped hazelnuts
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of almond extract
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
3 cups of flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil
3 eggs (room temperature if possible)

for the glaze:

1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of rosemary simple syrup (seriously takes like 5 minutes!)

Make the honey glaze first, even a few hours ahead if you want. Whisk the honey and milk into the powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside, it will thicken up as it sets.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease or spray a 9×13 pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the diced pears, walnuts, vanilla, and cinnamon, and set aside.

Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together. Add in 2 cups of the flour, the baking soda, and salt, and pulse to combine. Then add the other cup of flour and mix until totally combined (it will probably be super thick). Finally, fold in the pear mixture. If your pears are super juicy then this will make the batter kind of normal, otherwise your batter will still be very thick (which is normal for this recipe).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately after removing from the oven, poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick, then drizzle the glaze over it. You can eat it right away, but I’d let the glaze set up a little if you can. The cake can be wrapped tightly and stored for 3 to 5 days. It’s best leftover when warmed up for about 10 seconds in the microwave.

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