Name: The Perfect Caramel Pear Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2 pears - peeled, cored and thinly sliced; 8 tbsp butter; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 1 pinch salt; 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half; 1 boxed cake mix - white or yellow; 8 oz sour cream; 2-3 eggs (per directions on cake mix); 1/2 tsp ground cloves; 1/2 tsp cardamom

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You Had Me At Nansui

Some of you may find this a bit freaky, but I could spend hours wandering around the grocery store. Like some people love to find new bags or new shoes or new electronic gadgets, I am enthralled by new food products. Which means I regularly buy stuff I don’t even have a plan for at the time. And that is exactly what happened when I found these beautiful Nansui Pears! They are round, like apples, and have a slightly sweet flavor and crispy texture that holds up well in this recipe.

My husband, who is in the grocery business, was familiar with these babies. But I had never seen them before so of course I had to buy them. They sat in my fridge for a few days while I pondered the many options, but I finally settled on one of my favorite recipes…the Perfect Caramel Pear Cake. I call it perfect because it is bursting with flavor, moist and tender, great for any occasion, and it starts with a cake mix to keep it fairly simple.

Semi-Homemade Is Not A Bad Thing!

Now I love making things from scratch when time allows. But like many of you, my life doesn’t always leave time for creating without any shortcuts. I’ve found that adding beautiful ingredients and flavors to already prepared items (like cake mixes) is a great way to have the best of both worlds! I used that same principle in my lovely Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake (if you are looking for more ideas for semi-homemade deliciousness!)

For this Perfect Caramel Pear Cake, just melt butter over medium heat in a heavy skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer until the sugar dissolves and starts to caramelize (7-8 minutes). Add sliced pears, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Cook until the pears are slightly softened (2-3 minutes), then add cream or half and half. Lower heat to medium low and simmer for 2-3 more minutes until caramel thickens slightly. Make sure you keep stirring to prevent the caramel from burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Let Them Eat Cake – Caramel Pear Cake

There’s always time for tea and cake!” – Anonymous

Mix the cake mix according to the directions on the box, but substitute the oil or butter with sour cream and add a bit of cardamom and ground clove. Pour the cake batter into your favorite pan – I used a 9-inch spring form so I could pop the sides off but you can use a round cake pan, a bundt pan, even a 9×13 cake pan. Arrange the pear slices on the top of the cake and bake at 350 degrees until the cake springs back when touched gently on top. The pears will sink into the batter as it bakes and you will get that wonderful, juicy texture and flavor with each bite!

After your cake has completely cooled you can sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar on top to make it even prettier! Use the remaining caramel pear sauce to drizzle on top or to put on the individual plates when you serve. You won’t miss icing on this cake, and your family will be amazed at how beautiful it is!

Caramel Pear Cake Pin — **Don’t Forget to Pin this For Later!**

I hope you give this a try! Let me know in the comments if you do, or if it inspires you to find something new to try next time you are at the grocery store! And if you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next inspiration! Keep it spicy until next time!

Michele