Pear Hazelnut Spice Cake

If fall had a signature dessert, this Pear Hazelnut Spice Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze would be a serious contender. It’s cozy, fragrant, ridiculously pretty, and dressed up enough to make an appearance on even the fanciest Thanksgiving dessert table. Basically, this cake understands the assignment.

The cake starts with a brown sugar base. Then, I add a generous lineup of warming spices, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Consequently, the kitchen smells like a holiday candle, except considerably more delicious and without the risk of accidentally eating the wax.

Next, sweet pieces of fresh pear get folded into the batter. They bring lovely little pockets of fruity sweetness and moisture to every slice. Meanwhile, chopped raw hazelnuts add a rich, buttery, wonderfully toasty flavor. Pears and hazelnuts are a match made in autumn dessert heaven.

Of course, a cake this fabulous deserves a little extra attention. Enter the chocolate ganache glaze! Ganache sounds fancy, but it’s simply a luscious mixture of chocolate and warm cream. The cream melts the chocolate into a smooth, silky mixture that pours beautifully over the cake. As it cools, it develops a gorgeous finish that makes this bundt cake look like it belongs in a pastry shop window.

While the glaze is still wet, I sprinkle additional raw chopped hazelnuts over the top. However, I don’t stop there. Edible gold dust and gold glitter sugar make an appearance because I’m a sparkle girl. And I firmly believe holiday baked goods should occasionally wear jewelry.

Sunstitution Ideas:

Want to customize your Pear Hazelnut Spice Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze?

Try adding toasted hazelnuts, candied ginger, dried cranberries, or chocolate shavings. Alternatively, swap the chocolate ganache for a maple glaze, brown butter glaze, or orange icing.

Also, next time, I’m absolutely adding a cup of chocolate chips to the batter. Because, of course, there’s no such thing as too much chocolate.

Serve this beauty at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any fall gathering where you want dessert to steal the spotlight. The Pear Hazelnut Spice Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze is a showstopper before anyone even takes a bite. Good luck getting a second slice.

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Pear Hazelnut Spice Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, European

Keyword Chocolate Ganache Glaze, Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Fall baking, Fall Bundt Cakes, fall cakes, fall recipes, Hazelnut cake, Pear Cake, pear hazelnut cake, Thanksgiving Desserts,

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2+1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh pear peeled & chopped (any variety)
• 1 cup chopped raw hazelnuts

For the Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 oz of chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the garnish:

• 1/2 cup chopped raw hazelnuts
• glitter sugar & edible gold dust optional

Instructions

Make the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, spices, and baking powder. Set aside
4. Cream together the brown sugar and butter. Beat for 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time; make sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
6. Beat in the vanilla extract.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and beat until just combined.
8. Fold in the fresh and dried pears.
9. Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan.
10. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
11. Let the bundt cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
12. De-pan and transfer to a wire rack fitted over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
13. Let the cake cool completely.

Glaze & Garnish the Cake:

1. Make the chocolate Ganache Glaze:
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
3. Heat the heavy cream until simmering.
4. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
5. Whisk in the butter until smooth.
6. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.
7. While the glaze is wet, sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top. Add glitter sugar and gold dust if you're feeling fancy.
8. Let the glaze harden completely before slicing and serving.

So, do you like this Pear Hazelnut Spice Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze? Then also check out some of these other delicious recipes:

VALENTINE’S LINZER COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CINNAMON GANACHE

BAKED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE & WALNUTS

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE MACARONS WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING