When autumn brings its bounty of fragrant pears, make this tempting Pear Walnut Bundt Cake! This homespun dessert bursts with a vanilla-cinnamon crumb, sweet chunks of pear, and earthy walnuts in every bite.

Note: I originally created this recipe for a sponsored social post in partnership with Cultivate California on Instagram. This blog post, however, is not sponsored; I love this recipe so much that I just had to share the recipe with you!

As a little girl growing up in New York, apples took center stage every fall. We were in the Big Apple, after all! There were trips to the apple orchards for apple picking, where cider and donuts competed with the thrill of picking the apples themselves. We even had an apple tree in the backyard that littered our yard with its fruit, so bountiful was its harvest. And when the apples were plentiful, my mom would make her apple walnut delight, a cake that was autumn personified.

But when I moved to California, the spotlight shifted. I noticed the abundant pears that grew just north of us, near the Sacramento Delta, in orchards with a history dating back to the Gold Rush. I’ve grown to appreciate pears in a way I never anticipated – elegantly poached, in salads, in a pizza, with burgers, and more! To me, pears are underrated, which is a shame, because they are such a versatile and beautiful fruit!

As soon as the first autumn chill arrived this year, I brought some pears home to make a new version of my mom’s autumn cake. It was time to make a pear bundt cake!

Pear Walnut Bundt Cake

After making this pear walnut cake, I’ve decided I may prefer it to its apple cake cousin! There is something so lovely about the sweetness of the fruit in each bite juxtaposed with the earthy flavor and texture of the walnuts in a cinnamon-vanilla crumb.

This bundt cake may be showy, but it couldn’t get any simpler – just the kind of baking I love best. Honestly, using a bundt pan makes any homespun cake feel fancy, don’t you think?

To make the cake, start by creaming together your room temperature butter and a combination of granulated and brown sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Remember, you want all your ingredients to be room temperature for optimal incorporation into the batter, especially your butter and eggs.

Whisk together your dry ingredients and add it to mixture, taking care not to overmix, which will develop too much gluten. Mix in those beautiful pears and walnuts, and bake!

When the cake is baked, give it about 10 minutes to rest in the pan, then let it cool completely before glazing and garnishing with more walnuts.

The hardest part will be waiting for it to cool before glazing and digging in!