Delta Pear Cake
Chunks of fresh pear make this dessert as moist as applesauce cake. It's a favorite of Vicki Vermeer, who acquired the recipe from Sarah Simpson of Simpson Ranch, a pear farm in the Sacramento Delta.
How to Make It
Step 1
1
In a large bowl with a mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and 1/2 cup oil until well blended, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
2
In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Stir in pears, walnuts, and raisins.
Step 3
3
Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir just until evenly moistened. Spread batter in an oiled and floured 9- by 13-inch pan.
Step 4
4
Bake in a 350° oven until top of cake springs back when lightly touched in the center, about 1 hour (about 45 minutes in a convection oven). Cool on a rack. Serve warm or cool; cut into rectangles and lift out with a spatula.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
About 1/2 cup salad oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups diced (1/2 in.) peeled firm-ripe pears
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
Directions
Step 1
1
In a large bowl with a mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and 1/2 cup oil until well blended, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
2
In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Stir in pears, walnuts, and raisins.
Step 3
3
Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir just until evenly moistened. Spread batter in an oiled and floured 9- by 13-inch pan.
Step 4
4
Bake in a 350° oven until top of cake springs back when lightly touched in the center, about 1 hour (about 45 minutes in a convection oven). Cool on a rack. Serve warm or cool; cut into rectangles and lift out with a spatula.
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