This buckwheat dessert with pears is a quick-to-prepare one-layer cake which transforms into a perfect allergen-friendly treat for any occasion. Even my family, without dietary restrictions, loves it!
I like using fresh local fruits in my recipes as much as possible, so this gluten-free pear cake is a fabulous treat to bake when pears are in season. The cake would be equally impressive and tasty with apples, peaches, rhubarb or berries.
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Why You’ll Love This Pear Recipe
- Quick: It’s easy to prepare the ingredients, mix and bake.
- Fun: Decorating the top of the cake in a beautiful pattern is fun—be creative!
- Impressive: Simple cake recipe for special last-minute get-togethers.
- Comforting: Pear cake is pretty healthy when a treat is needed, but not a sugar overload.
Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake Ingredients
The three main ingredients in this recipe are buckwheat, good-quality olive oil and ripe pears. I love that this cake doesn’t require a gluten-free flour blend or xanthan gum.
Buckwheat – If you haven’t baked with buckwheat, this olive oil cake is the perfect way to put buckwheat to good use. If you have access to light buckwheat flour, it will be perfect for this cake. Darker buckwheat flour is gorgeous, too, but many prefer the mild flavour of light buckwheat flour.
If you don’t have buckwheat flour, don’t worry; there’s something else you can get. Many grocery stores won’t have buckwheat flour but will have raw buckwheat groats. Groats are amazing! You can grind the groats in a small blender or spice grinder into buckwheat flour.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – When baking with olive oil, I recommend combining organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin Olive Oil.
Pears – I tested a few different varieties of pears, such as Bartlett pears and Cheeky pears, and both were great. The kind of pears you get or have access to should work. Make sure they are sweet, juicy pears and as fresh as possible to make your cake taste incredible. I’m unsure if Asian pears would also work because of their texture and high water content.
The remaining ingredients are unsweetened plant-based milk, pure maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, pure vanilla extract, lemon zest (optional), GF baking powder, sea salt and Turbinado (or Demerara) sugar for the top.
Prep & Baking Tips
- Fresh pears are best. Wash, cut in half, core the pears, and slice them into thin pieces. If your pears are not ripe, cutting them in half and simmering them in a bit of water will help to soften them before slicing them to place over the top of the cake batter. See the instructions in the recipe card notes at the end of this post.
- If light buckwheat flour is unavailable, weigh 180 grams of raw buckwheat groats and grind in a small blender, spice grinder or food processor. Sift if necessary or grind again into finer light buckwheat flour. I highly recommend weighing the buckwheat groats or flour, but if you don’t have a scale, the final amount of light buckwheat flour needed is one and a half cups. Combine the buckwheat flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk. Transfer the dry ingredients to the larger bowl of wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Line a 9-inch cake pan (or springform pan) with parchment paper (with a tab for easy removal; see photos in the post or YouTube video) and grease the sides and bottom with olive oil. Transfer the cake batter to the pan and place the pear slices overtop. The way you decorate the top is up to you. Reference the photos in the post for inspiration. Before baking, sprinkle a generous amount of Turbinado sugar overtop.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes. Smaller countertop ovens might bake faster than regular ovens, so keep an eye on the cake while baking. As soon as the center of the cake feels set and the outside edges of the cake are nice and golden, the cake should be ready.
- Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Then, remove it from the cake pan using the parchment tab. If you made one, slide it onto a serving plate. Serve right away, or keep it for later. This Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake is best enjoyed the same day. One or two-day-old leftovers are equally delicious.
Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake Video
Video: Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake Gluten-Free Vegan Recipe
Recipe Tips & Ingredient Substitutions
See the notes in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. It includes everything you should know to bake this cake recipe and lists ingredient alternatives.
More Allergen-Friendly Dessert Recipes
Visit the Treats section on Fresh is Real for more dessert recipes.
Gluten-Free, No Eggs or Dairy Bread Machine Cookbook is available on Amazon.
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Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake (Gluten-Free Vegan Recipe)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-55
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Treat
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Allergen-Friendly
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This buckwheat dessert with pears is a quick-to-prepare one-layer cake which transforms into a perfect allergen-friendly treat for any occasion. Even my family, without dietary restrictions, loves it!
Tools: 9-inch cake pan (or springform pan), parchment paper.
How-To Video: Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ripe pears (Bartlett, Cheeky, D’Anjou), sliced
- 180 grams (1–1/2 cups) light buckwheat flour
- 1 tablespoon GF baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup plain plant-based milk (up to 1/2 cup, see notes)
- 1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon organic lemon zest (optional)
- 2 tablespoons organic Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Fresh pears are best. Wash, cut in half, core the pear(s), slice them into thin pieces and set them aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Preheat oven to 350°F and move an oven rack so the cake will be positioned in the center of the oven.
- Combine and whisk the dry ingredients (flour, GF baking powder and sea salt) in a medium bowl.
- Combine all the wet ingredients, starting with 1/4 cup of plant-based milk, in a large bowl and whisk. If adding organic lemon zest, add it to the liquids. Transfer the dry ingredients to the larger bowl of wet ingredients and mix until combined. TIP: If the batter is too thick, add more plant-based milk in increments (up to an extra 1/4 cup, for a total of 1/2 cup) until the batter reaches a better cake batter consistency. A little thicker is good with this gluten-free cake batter, as you don’t want it to be too thin, either.
- Line a 9-inch cake pan (or springform pan) with parchment paper (with a tab for easy removal; see photos in post or video) and grease the sides and bottom with olive oil. Transfer the cake batter to the pan and arrange the pear slices overtop. The way you decorate the top is up to you. Reference the photos in the post for inspiration. Before baking, sprinkle a generous amount of Demerara sugar overtop.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes. Smaller countertop ovens might bake faster than regular ovens, so keep an eye on the cake while baking. As soon as the center of the cake feels set and the outside edges of the cake are nice and golden, the cake should be ready.
- Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Then, carefully remove it from the cake pan using the parchment tab and a spatula and slide it onto a serving plate. Enjoy a slice on its own or serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Can I use any pears? You can try, but maybe not Asian pears (too watery). D’Anjou, Flemish or Bosc pears are great examples of other types of pears that would work well. All I tested were Bartletts and Cheekys (South Africa). If all you can get are harder, unripe Bartlett pears, fear not; there’s a solution. Wash and cut the pears in half. Place them cut-side-down in a medium pot with half a cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer (covered) until the pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Cooking the pears will take around 15 to 20 minutes, but don’t walk away too far because the water will evaporate, and the pears will burn and stick if you forget them. Once ready, transfer the cooked pears to a small plate to cool. Cut off the bottom and top of the pears, scoop out the seeds, then slice them into thinner pieces. However, remember that naturally juicy pears will make a better-tasting dessert.
Can’t find light buckwheat flour? Grind 180 grams of raw buckwheat groats (not Kasha, which is roasted buckwheat) into fine flour with a small blender, spice grinder or food processor.
Plant-Based Milk: Use pretty much any plant-based milk, such as soy, oat or hemp. Cashew and almond milk are great if you are not allergic to nuts. It’s okay if your milk is sweetened. Your dessert will be a little sweeter 😉
How do I make the lower-sugar cake even less sweet? Use half the maple syrup and increase the plant milk. Omit the Demerara sugar topping and dust the top of the layered pears with ground cinnamon.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Sub pears with other fresh fruit. Apples, rhubarb/strawberries, peaches or berries would work equally well. Try a combo such as pear and wild blueberry.
Sub maple syrup with organic granulated sugar such as light brown sugar or darker coconut sugar. TIP: Adding up to 1/2 cup of plant milk might be necessary if using granulated sugar.
Sub Turbinado sugar with Demerara sugar with other granulated sugar such as light brown sugar or darker coconut palm sugar
Sub buckwheat flour with almond flour (or almond meal). I did not test this option, but it should work. I did not test any other types of gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour mixes or starches.
Sub apple cider vinegar (ACV) with pure lemon juice.
Sub 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract with 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla powder.
STORAGE: This Buckwheat Olive Oil Pear Cake is best enjoyed on the same day. One or two-day-old leftovers are equally delicious. You can store the leftovers on the serving plate covered with plastic wrap or transfer the remaining slices to an airtight container. Keep the cake at room temperature for up to two days. To keep for longer, it’s best to refrigerate or freeze the cake.
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