Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Fruit Desserts The Best Pear Dessert Recipes to Savor Sweet Fall Flavors This caramelized pear upside-down cake is a total show-stopper! By Karla Walsh Karla Walsh Karla Walsh began her career at FITNESS magazine in 2010. Since, she's worked at a wide variety of publications full-time, including BHG.com, Recipe.com and as a cross-brand social media specialist. From search engine optimization to features for print to video strategy, she has a diverse background in all things magazines. At the start of 2019, Karla chose to pursue full-time freelance writing and has contributed to more than 3 dozen brands. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on August 16, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Jason Donnelly Including tarts, cakes, pies, and more, these pear dessert recipes are a tasty reminder that apples shouldn’t get all the fall fruit glory. Ranging from low-fuss loaf cakes and galettes to holiday-worthy layer cakes and pies, you’re sure to find a new favorite seasonal treat among our best dessert recipes with pear. 01 of 14 Ginger-Pear Star Scones Andy Lyons Ideal for brunch (as part of a buffet or alongside eggs and bacon) or after dinner (with whipped cream or ice cream) these showy scones celebrate many of our favorite fall flavors. In addition to pears, the scone dough calls for nutmeg and crystallized ginger. Those two flavor-boosters, plus cinnamon, also appear in the too-good-too-skip spiced butter topping. View Recipe 02 of 14 Autumn Maple-Pear Pie Blaine Moats The crust for this pear dessert might look like your usual pastry. But as everyone digs their fork into their first bite, they’ll discover a delightful crunchy and nutty element. The secret? Ground toasted pecans or almonds. That secret ingredient, in tandem with maple syrup, seasonal fruit, warm apple pie spice, and a stunning poached pear slice topping, means that this is one fall pie that certainly stands out from the dessert competition. View Recipe 03 of 14 Caramelized Pear Skillet Cake Carson Downing Pineapple shouldn’t get all the upside-down cake glory. Sweet, tender, showy pears star on top—or should we say on the bottom?—of this impressive-looking yet deceptively easy-to-execute cast-iron skillet cake. The caramel sauce comes to life as the pears and spice cake bake to sliceable perfection. And just in case the ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and molasses weren’t enough fall flair for one pear dessert, we’re also dishing about how to make a luscious bourbon sauce to drizzle over each serving, if you like. View Recipe 04 of 14 Pear-Honey Sorbet Justin Coit Before you scroll right past this dessert recipe with pear because you don’t own an ice cream maker, press pause. If you have a saucepan, blender, and freezer, you have all of the equipment required to whip up this easy 5-ingredient healthy frozen treat. Honey and candied ginger accent the fresh pear flavors beautifully, and all of the above really shine paired with spice cake, shortbread cookies, or simply served inside a fresh pear half “bowl.” View Recipe 05 of 14 Wine-Poached Pear Trifle Andy Lyons Poached pears have been an elegant dessert option for ages. But why stop at the pears alone, when you can showcase the red wine-infused fruit in an over-the-top party-sized “parfait” of sorts? Layers of vanilla cake, hazelnut cream, and streusel only get better when they soak up some of the boozy poaching liquid. Test Kitchen Tip: If you prefer to keep this pear dessert recipe alcohol-free, swap in an equal amount of one of our best wine substitutes, such as cranberry juice or pomegranate juice. View Recipe 06 of 14 Mini Roasted Apple and Pear Tarts Jason Donnelly Thanks to a head start from store-bought frozen puff pastry, this pear dessert recipe is “easy and delish,” according to one home baker. The filling for the tart recipe is a cinch, too. Coat pear slices (or a mix of pears and apples) with brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon, then roast on a sheet pan until the fruit is tender and you’re left with a makeshift caramel recipe. Spoon the ooey-gooey fall fruit on top of the puff pastry, pile on chopped toasted nuts, then finish with a pinch of flaky salt. View Recipe 07 of 14 Honey Hazelnut Pear Galettes Jacob Fox Pies are nice. That being said, we’ll readily admit that they tend to be a bit fussy. So it’s no wonder everyone from Ina Garten to nearly every home baker we ask is fond of pie’s less-laborious peer: galette. Think of it like a free-form pie! This is the format for these fairly simple single-serving pear desserts. The crust wrapper encases sliced pears, roasted hazelnuts, a rich, velvety hazelnut cream, and honey. Thank goodness no one needs to share! View Recipe 08 of 14 Chocolate-Cinnamon Pear Loaf Cake Andy Lyons If you haven’t tried pairing chocolate and cinnamon before, we’re delighted that this dessert recipe with pear can illuminate for you how terrific the pairing can be. Warm, sweet, rich, and dense, this loaf cake disguises three whole pears, which are tucked inside the chocolate cake batter. These aren’t just your usual pears, though. They’re poached pears that now offer orange and cinnamon notes. View Recipe 09 of 14 Pear Tarts with Caramelized Pastry Cream Blaine Moats The little details add up to make a big difference to make this pear dessert recipe taste like something you savored as part of a final course of a tasting menu at a fancy restaurant. Ginger, cinnamon, and cloves scent the tart crust that holds pastry cream and elegant shingled slices of roasted pears. The fun doesn’t stop there; pomegranate seeds and shards of caramelized sugar crown each tart. After serving these at your next dinner party, you’ll be crowned best baker. View Recipe 10 of 14 Pear-Walnut Streusel Pie Apple might be the more common choice for holiday pie, but we’re firm believers that ripe pears, cinnamon, and nutmeg rival any apple pie filling. This is especially true when those warmly-spiced pears are tucked between a flaky pastry crust and a brown sugar and walnut streusel topping. Just like its culinary cousin, we recommend serving slices of this pear dessert a la mode. View Recipe 11 of 14 Pear Frangipane Crostata The foundation for this dessert recipe with pear is a nod to another one of our favorite bakery treats: Dutch letters. Pastry and almond paste play major roles in both. That’s just the beginning for this rustic free-form pie. (By the way, galette is the French term for this, and crostata is Italian; these names can be used interchangeably.) Over the crust and almond paste, layer loads of sliced pears. After baking until golden brown, brush the top with melted apricot preserves and sprinkle with sliced almonds. If you ask us, it's better than a bakery and contains enough fruit to totally double as breakfast. Related: Cut Your Prep Time in Half With Our Tips for Make-Ahead Pie Crust View Recipe 12 of 14 Fresh Pear and Cranberry Pie Why choose just one fall fruit when you can bake a pie that features two seasonal favorites? Reserve 1 cup of fresh cranberries from your cranberry sauce stash to sprinkle into this pear dessert recipe. With a whopping 8 cups of sliced fruit, it’s definitely more firmly on the pear side, although it wouldn’t be the same without the tart cranberry and sweet caramel flavors. Once you slice and serve this unique pie recipe, everyone will forget all about pumpkin, apple, and pecan. (For today, at least!) View Recipe 13 of 14 Hazelnut-Pear Torte with Dulce de Leche Filling Kritsada Panichgul We know this dessert recipe with pear might look like a labor of love. According to one home baker, though, it’s actually “surprisingly easier to make than I thought! A delicious hit!” Start by stirring together and baking the hazelnut cakes, then mix up the creamy dulce de leche filling. Cook sliced pears in butter until golden brown and tender, then layer it all together atop a serving platter. Test Kitchen Tip: This torte gets even tastier as the filling and pear sauce seeps into the cake. Prepare it in advance, and chill for at least 1 hour before serving this pear dessert. View Recipe 14 of 14 Brown Sugar Pear Pound Cake This pear dessert recipe surely doesn’t skimp on the pear factor. About 8 fresh diced pears, a generous pour of pear brandy, and a splash of pear nectar join forces in the pound cake, glaze, and sauce. The cake itself is already rich, and when you add those bonus boosts, you’ll likely get multiple requests for seconds…and the recipe. “So very good and moist,” one BHG fan says. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit