Spiced Zucchini Pear Cake
A simple cake with BIG flavor— spiced zucchini pear bundt cake with brown butter glaze.
I love cake. I looooove cake. But I’m not always in the mood for a fancy, high-maintenance layer cake. Sometimes I just want something simple, something quick and easy, but that still tastes amazing.
Enter this bundt cake! This spiced zucchini pear bundt cake with brown butter glaze is everything you could want in a humble but satisfying autumn dessert.
This bundt cake is filled with pears and zucchini— which are both still in season in October, by the way!— and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. It’s moist, flavorful, and is honestly so good it doesn’t even need any frosting or glaze.
But who am I to pass up an opportunity to smother a cake in icing? And this glaze made with browned butter really is the literal icing on the cake.
This recipe has been on my site since 2010, but I felt I needed to re-post it today so it can get the love it deserves. Don’t be fooled by its simple appearance, you’re gonna love it!
baking tip:How to brown butter
- Add cubed butter to saucepan over medium low heat (cubing the butter first allows it to melt more evenly).
- Butter will melt and start to foam. Stir frequently with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Continue to cook butter until you see brown specs in the butter and it has a nutty aroma.
- Remove from heat immediately and pour it into a heatproof container. If left in the pan it will continue to cook and burn.
- Use the melted browned butter right away or put in the fridge for later use.
Spiced Zucchini Pear Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ¼ all-purpose flour (150 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar (105 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk (125 ml)
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (155 grams)
- 1 cup peeled and diced pears (165 grams)
For the glaze:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56 grams)
- 1 cup powdered sugar , sifted (210 grams)
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 inch bundt pan with butter and flour or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, and milk.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until the mixture just comes together and the dry ingredients have fully incorporated into the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and chopped pears.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate or cake stand and let cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium low heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Add more milk if needed. Glaze cake immediately.
- Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up glaze before serving, if desired. Store leftover cake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This recipe was originally published November 2010. Photos have been updated and minor improvements to the recipe have been made.
The recipe doesn’t say how many pairs
1 cup of diced pears is about 1 pear, but you’ll need more or less depending on the size of the pear!
Tinkered with recipe to make gluten free. Came out well. 100 grams Bobs red mill 1:1 gf flour, 45 grams oat flour, 20 grams cheap plain instant potato flakes. Added 2oz dried blueberries. 2oz chopped walnuts. Added 1additionwl egg yoke. Baked as muffins about 17 minutes. Good texture.
Awesome recipe. Great texture. I baked as muffins. Got 17 muffins. Baked 18 minutes.recipe didn’t say and I measured by weight the zuchinni, grated and squeezed in a towel. You will not miss the fat in this recipe.
We can’t read the directions… Which is a shame cause it’s a lovely recipe!
Directions for this recipe are blocked by adds. Every time. I’ve tried multiple computers to no avail. 🙁
This cake looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of zucchini and pears! My garden produced enough zucchini this summer that I could make one of these cakes every week until May!! LOL!
Oh my gosh, you so should! 😉 Thanks, Laura!
Love how the pear chunks show in the cut slices. And this to die for frosting–I’ll be licking it from the plate!
Oh I definitely licked my plate clean, and then had like 3 more slices. 🙂 Thanks Letty!
Wow! I want a slice right now. Love how the pear chunks show in the cut pieces and I wouldn’t miss a lick of your sauce!
I could’t agree more with your cake philosophy! This beautiful cake is totally my speed, and I just love how you combined zucchini and pear!
I’m down with that thick layer of icing! Hooray! I love bundt cakes. Humble and simple, but also really beautiful. And always tasty! Love the combination of zucchini and pears! XOXO!
I love cake too, but prefer rustic cakes that aren’t high maintenance too! This cake is gorgeous and I love that you added pear to it!