Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Pear Spice Cake


This is a pretty dessert served warm with pouring custard or ice cream. 
It comes from my old Pillsbury desserts book.

For the Pear Topping:
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine
  • 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 tablespoon water or pear syrup
  • canned pears - each cut lengthwise into 3 or 4 slices
Spice Cake:
  • 1/3 cup shortening or margarine
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4  teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2  teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup milk
Prepare Topping:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Melt butter in 9 inch round cake pan in oven.
  3. Stir in brown sugar, flour and water.
  4. Spread mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.
  5. Place pear slices, tips all facing the same way in a spoke pattern, leaving the centre open.
Mix cake batter:
  1. In large mixer bowl, cream margarine, sugars and egg.
  2. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk.
  3. Beat at lowest speed until well blended.
  4. Spoon cake batter evenly over pear slices, spreading batter gently to edges of pan.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45- 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  6. Cool 2 minutes.
  7. Loosen edges with spatula.
  8. Invert serving plate over cake pan and flip both over. Let pan rest upside down on serving plate for a minute or so before you remove it.
  9. Serve with warm pouring custard (I use Bird's custard powder, following the directions on the label) and/or ice cream.

9 comments:

  1. Woah! Does that sound fantastic. Pass me a slice! Now listen, Ellen, I am anxious to see what happens to your Ethan Allen table when you paint it! Linda

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  2. I love your blog & your recipes. Thought you might like to see your almond puff recipe on my blog. I had to use vanilla & pecans but it was great. Thanks, Jan

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  3. this looks good enough to make right now, however no pears at home, but i bet it would work with peaches as well....to bad we can't have a taste test.....;-)

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  4. We were treated to this Pear Spice Cake at Bev's place....the warm sauce is a must! Her and her hubby have the gift of hospitality. When you walk in you are received with a warm welcome and a hug. They are interested in you and also freely share their lives. She sets a pretty table and can cook up a storm...sometimes 'simply'delicious, and other times gourmet.
    You come away feeling accepted and loved for who you are. If you haven't had someone over lately, pick a recipe or two from our blog and bless some of your friends. Entertaining is somewhat of a dying art that we need to keep alive. Kathy

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  5. Kathy your comments are too kind. Thank you. I love entertaining and need to take time to do more of it. We can echo the comments when it comes to dinner at your home too.

    Obviously the all the contibutors to this blog are women who love to cook. I'm a firm believer that anyone who wants to cook already has the wherewithal to be a great cook.

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  6. Bev....I looked at that dessert photo and the flowers and I knew it was yours. I am so glad you could share it. We put up three more cupboards in the laundry room and now it is time for my chicken noodle soup..I cheated and purchased fresh chinese noodles which are just about as good as homemade. With a basket of homemade buns it will be a good meal. sf

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  7. It's really nice to have a recipe this time of year that uses canned fruit. Often I long for the summer fruit recipes but they all call for fresh .. so yes. .I'll give this one a whirl and serve it with custard. .sounds wonderful.

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  8. Oh so pretty! What a wonderful looking cake...
    If my pear tree survives my pruning I'll have to celebrate by using my pears and make this cake.

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  9. Pears and spices = a delicious cake! My pear tree better yield a large crop this year!

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