We love herbs in sweet baked goods. The honey and rosemary in this Bundt cake impart a delicious earthiness.
Pear Honey Rosemary Bundt Cake
Makes 1 (10-cup) Bundt cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, softened and divided
- 2 cups peeled and chopped pear
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (312 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2¾ cups (344 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup honey
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter over medium heat. Add pear and rosemary; cook, stirring occasionally, until pears are soft. Remove from heat; let cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat granulated sugar, vanilla, and remaining 1 cup (227 grams) butter at medium speed until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, stir together milk and honey. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in pear mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack, and let cool completely. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
So I am a newish subscriber. Making this cake from the sept Oct 2017 magazine. You’ve recycled your recipe and ch aging it just a bit already???????
Hey Ann,
Thank you for reaching out! Although these two look similar, they are very different. The most recent one in our September/October magazine was a recipe from our friends, The Drunk Bakers and is more of a dense cake with a great Browned Butter-Pear Glaze. We have not recycled this recipe but instead wanted to add more options for Bundt cakes. Happy Baking!
What kind of pears? Thanks.
Hi Sue,
Thanks for reaching out! Any type of pears will work or anything you see at the grocery store! Green Anjou are common at grocery stores and will work fine. Happy Baking!
Thanks for this recipe — this made an outstanding cake! I was really intrigued to try this — esp. since I have a large rosemary shrub growing on my deck. Cake turned out beautifully, and I love the texture and the flavor. It makes a fabulous dessert or snack. I lowered the sugar a little, and next time I make this, I’ll increase the rosemary — I’m not one for subtlety 🙂 Really enjoying this — thanks!
This was AMAZING and a huge hit at my tea! The cake is beautifully balanced and uniquely flavored! It tastes great with a nice cup of tea. The only change I made was to grind the cooked pear/rosemary/butter mixture into an applesauce consistency before adding to the batter as I don’t care for pieces of fruit in my cake. It came out great! Everyone requested this recipe the next day! I happily shared with my modification.
This was great! I always worry about using herbs in desserts but this was wonderful. I followed another commentor’s suggestion about pureeing the pears because I don’t really care for chunks of pear in my cake and it worked out beautifully. Will definitely be making this one again.
First attempt we couldn’t detect ant herb, after reviewing other similar recipes, I upped the rosemary to 3+ tsp and added 1 tsp+ thyme…. THAT gave it that hint of herb finish! This cake is better day 2 or 3 which makes it the perfect make ahead dessert