French bakers pair walnuts with pears because Périgord's autumn harvest overlaps exactly, making this caramel cake a centuries-old regional accident.
Walnut Pear and Caramel Cake
Dive into decadence with our Walnut Pear and Caramel Cake! This scrumptious treat features tender pears and crunchy walnuts, all beautifully embraced by a rich caramel glaze. Whip it up effortlessly for a dessert that’s sure to impress and satisfy every sweet tooth!
Prep
15
min
Cook
35
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This cake owes its soul to 1930s Grenoble, France's walnut capital, where farmers stuffed every dessert with local Noix de Grenoble to survive lean winters, while the salted caramel is pure 1970s Brittany invention, courtesy of Breton confectioners who discovered sea salt and sugar were an unlikely marriage made in culinary heaven—two regions, one gloriously indulgent cake, centuries apart.
Regional Twist
In France's Dordogne region, bakers swap standard walnuts for Périgord walnuts, prized for their buttery sweetness, and drizzle extra salted caramel over the finished cake instead of hiding it all inside, making every slice properly sticky and utterly unapologetic.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 3 poires (ou 2 grandes)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- 120 f beurre (8.4 tbsp)
- 100 g caramel beurre salé (3.53 oz)
- 3 œufs
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1/2 sachet levure chimique
- 100 g cassonade (0.5 cup)
- 80 g farine (0.64 cup)
- 1 càc vanille (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1 pincée de sel (ou fleur de sel)
📦Other(1)
- 150 g noix torréfiées (100 g dans le gâteau et 50 g grossièrement hachées sur le dessus) (5.29 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
814
Protein
13g
Carbs
71g
Fat
55g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Finely chop the roasted walnuts.
- 2
In a bowl, crack 3 eggs and add brown sugar. Whisk well.
- 3
Add melted butter and vanilla, then whisk again.
- 4
Incorporate the chopped walnuts, sifted flour, half a packet of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until you have a nice cake batter.
- 5
Peel 3 pears, dice 2 into cubes and slice 1.
- 6
Fold the pear cubes into the batter.
- 7
Pour half of the batter into a mold and spread it evenly.
- 8
Add salted caramel in the center, avoiding the edges.
- 9
Top with the remaining batter.
- 10
Add the sliced pear and coarsely chopped walnuts on top.
- 11
Bake at 170°C for 30 to 35 minutes.
- 12
Let it cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Toast your walnuts to 160°C for 8-10 minutes before chopping because roasting increases their oil content by ~15%, amplifying nutty flavor compounds (pyrazines and furans) that become volatile when ground.ingredient160°C for 8-10 minutes | 15% oil increase
- ✓Whisk eggs with brown sugar for 3-4 minutes until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage (pale, voluminous, ~40% volume increase) because sugar dissolves into egg proteins, creating an emulsion that traps air and leavens the cake without relying entirely on baking powder.timing3-4 minutes | 40% volume increase
- ✓Dice pears into 1-2 cm cubes and fold them in at the very last step before pouring batter because pear flesh oxidizes rapidly (enzymatic browning); smaller pieces added late minimize browning reactions and prevent them from sinking below the caramel layer due to their density.technique1-2 cm cubes | fold last
- ✓Leave a 2-3 cm border of batter around the mold's edges before pouring caramel because salted caramel (high sugar concentration, ~65% solids) will leach moisture from the batter during baking; the batter barrier prevents premature structure collapse and ensures even crumb.technique2-3 cm border
- ✓Sift your flour and baking powder together 3-4 times before folding into the wet mixture to distribute the leavening agent uniformly at a ratio of 1 tsp per 80g flour, preventing dense pockets and ensuring the cake rises evenly around the denser caramel layer.technique1 tsp baking powder per 80g flour | sift 3-4 times
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
35
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
French bakers pair walnuts with pears because Périgord's autumn harvest overlaps exactly, making this caramel cake a centuries-old regional accident.
Walnut Pear and Caramel Cake
Dive into decadence with our Walnut Pear and Caramel Cake! This scrumptious treat features tender pears and crunchy walnuts, all beautifully embraced by a rich caramel glaze. Whip it up effortlessly for a dessert that’s sure to impress and satisfy every sweet tooth!
The Story
This cake owes its soul to 1930s Grenoble, France's walnut capital, where farmers stuffed every dessert with local Noix de Grenoble to survive lean winters, while the salted caramel is pure 1970s Brittany invention, courtesy of Breton confectioners who discovered sea salt and sugar were an unlikely marriage made in culinary heaven—two regions, one gloriously indulgent cake, centuries apart.
Regional Twist
In France's Dordogne region, bakers swap standard walnuts for Périgord walnuts, prized for their buttery sweetness, and drizzle extra salted caramel over the finished cake instead of hiding it all inside, making every slice properly sticky and utterly unapologetic.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 3 poires (ou 2 grandes)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- 120 f beurre (8.4 tbsp)
- 100 g caramel beurre salé (3.53 oz)
- 3 œufs
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1/2 sachet levure chimique
- 100 g cassonade (0.5 cup)
- 80 g farine (0.64 cup)
- 1 càc vanille (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1 pincée de sel (ou fleur de sel)
📦Other(1)
- 150 g noix torréfiées (100 g dans le gâteau et 50 g grossièrement hachées sur le dessus) (5.29 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
814
Protein
13g
Carbs
71g
Fat
55g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Finely chop the roasted walnuts.
- 2
In a bowl, crack 3 eggs and add brown sugar. Whisk well.
- 3
Add melted butter and vanilla, then whisk again.
- 4
Incorporate the chopped walnuts, sifted flour, half a packet of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until you have a nice cake batter.
- 5
Peel 3 pears, dice 2 into cubes and slice 1.
- 6
Fold the pear cubes into the batter.
- 7
Pour half of the batter into a mold and spread it evenly.
- 8
Add salted caramel in the center, avoiding the edges.
- 9
Top with the remaining batter.
- 10
Add the sliced pear and coarsely chopped walnuts on top.
- 11
Bake at 170°C for 30 to 35 minutes.
- 12
Let it cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Toast your walnuts to 160°C for 8-10 minutes before chopping because roasting increases their oil content by ~15%, amplifying nutty flavor compounds (pyrazines and furans) that become volatile when ground.ingredient160°C for 8-10 minutes | 15% oil increase
- ✓Whisk eggs with brown sugar for 3-4 minutes until the mixture reaches the ribbon stage (pale, voluminous, ~40% volume increase) because sugar dissolves into egg proteins, creating an emulsion that traps air and leavens the cake without relying entirely on baking powder.timing3-4 minutes | 40% volume increase
- ✓Dice pears into 1-2 cm cubes and fold them in at the very last step before pouring batter because pear flesh oxidizes rapidly (enzymatic browning); smaller pieces added late minimize browning reactions and prevent them from sinking below the caramel layer due to their density.technique1-2 cm cubes | fold last
- ✓Leave a 2-3 cm border of batter around the mold's edges before pouring caramel because salted caramel (high sugar concentration, ~65% solids) will leach moisture from the batter during baking; the batter barrier prevents premature structure collapse and ensures even crumb.technique2-3 cm border
- ✓Sift your flour and baking powder together 3-4 times before folding into the wet mixture to distribute the leavening agent uniformly at a ratio of 1 tsp per 80g flour, preventing dense pockets and ensuring the cake rises evenly around the denser caramel layer.technique1 tsp baking powder per 80g flour | sift 3-4 times