Pear and banana loaf

Recipe

Pear and banana loaf is an extremely moist cake, with quite a dense texture, and is absolutely packed with the luscious combination of pears and bananas. A slice of this cake for breakfast will keep you going until lunchtime, or why not just enjoy a slice with a cup of tea as a mid-morning snack?

Three slices of pear and banana load next to a dish of butter.

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Table Of Contents

Banana pear cake
What you will need
What to do
Tips and FAQ
Save for later
Other recipes
The recipe
Pear and banana loaf

Banana pear cake

If you’re looking for a light-as-a-feather sponge cake such as a Victoria Sandwich, then perhaps this recipe isn’t for you.

However, if you want a cake with a dense texture, that’s absolutely packed with flavour, then I think you’re going to love this pear and banana loaf. The addition of pears elevates plain old banana bread to a whole new level!

It’s a great way of using up spotty old bananas that are on the verge of being thrown out. And if you team the bananas with sweet juicy pears then you’ve got a winning flavour combination.

You can use either firm pears or pears that have softened. If your pears are very firm, you should peel and grate them; if your pears are on the soft, mushy side then it would be best to chop them into a fine dice before adding them to the cake. You can even use canned pears if you don’t have fresh ones. Just drain them very well and chop them into small dice before using.

Pear and banana loaf is a very easy cake to make – it’s just a matter of creaming the butter with the sugar, and beating in an egg. Then you just mix in the flour and stir in the bananas and pears before baking for an hour in a moderate oven.

Overhead shot of pear and banana bread on a plate with butter.

What you will need

Equipment

You will need a mixing bowl for the cake, plus 2 smaller bowls to hold the mashed bananas and chopped or grated pears.

For baking the banana pear loaf you will need a 10cm x 20 cm (that’s 4″ x 8″) loaf tin. You could also use a slightly larger loaf tin, but then the batter would not be so deep and you would have to reduce the cooking time slightly to compensate.

If you are going to be grating your pears, then you will also need a box grater.

Ingredients

This recipe makes an 8″ x 4″ pear and banana loaf that you can cut into approximately 12 slices.

**You can get the complete recipe on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

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Ingredients for pear and banana bread. — These are the ingredients you will need to make a pear and banana loaf:

Bananas – the spottier the better. If there are a lot of very brown bits on your bananas you can just cut them away and discard them. For this recipe, you will need the equivalent of 2 cups of ripe mashed bananas.

Pears – the pears should be peeled. If the pears are very firm they should be grated on a box grater. Soft, riper pears can be sliced into small dice. You can also use canned pears, but they should be drained of as much liquid as possible before being cut into a small dice, so that the liquid content of the cake is not too high. You will need 1 cup of chopped or grated pears for this recipe.

Butter – I like to use unsalted butter for baking, and add my own salt to taste.

Sugar – caster sugar is more finely ground than granulated sugar and dissolves more easily when being creamed with butter. You can use granulated sugar, but you might find you need to cream the butter and sugar together for a bit longer.

Flour – I’ve used plain flour for this recipe, and added one teaspoon of baking powder for each cup of flour. You can use self-raising flour instead and omit the baking powder.

Egg – I used a large egg.

Vanilla essence – optional, but does enhance the flavour.

Salt (not pictured) – I normally add half a teaspoon of salt mixed in with the flour. If you are using salted butter don’t add extra salt.

What to do

Mashed bananas and grated pears in bowls.

Peel and mash the banana.

Peel the pears and grate them using a box grater.

If your pears are very soft, you should chop them into a small dice rather than grating them.

Set the pears and bananas aside.

Measure the sugar into a mixing bowl.

Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the sugar.

Butter and sugar creamed together in a mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy and the sugar has dissolved into the butter.

You can use a wooden spoon or spatula for this step. If you have a food processor you could use that.

Creamed butter and sugar with an egg in a mixing bowl.

Add the egg and vanilla essence to the creamed sugar and butter.

Butter and sugar creamed together with an egg in a mixing bowl.

Mix thoroughly to combine the egg with the butter and sugar.

Flour added to creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.

Now tip in the flour and baking powder.

If you are using salt, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the flour.

Mashed bananas and grated pears added to the batter.

Add the grated pears and mashed bananas.

Pear and banana loaf batter in a mixing bowl.

Mix well to combine. The flour should be completely incorporated.

Lightly grease the sides of your baking tin and cut a strip of baking parchment to line the bottom.

Leave the baking parchment strip long enough to stick out at each side to make it easier for you to get the cake out of the pan.

Pear and banana loaf batter in a loaf tin.

Transfer the batter to the baking tin.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C / 355F) for one hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out cleanly.

A baked pear and banana loaf in a baking tin.

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the baking tin, then remove it from the tin and cut it into slices to serve.

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A buttered slice of pear and banana loaf on a plate.

Tips and FAQ

Can I freeze a pear and banana loaf?

Yes. Allow the loaf to cool to room temperature, then wrap it in a layer of baking parchment, followed by a layer of tinfoil. Place it into a large plastic bag and freeze for up to 4 months.
To defrost, remove the loaf from the plastic bag and leave it on the counter to defrost completely.

How do I store it?

Transfer the loaf into an air-tight tin or wrap it in tin foil. You can store it in the kitchen for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Can I use a different-sized baking pan?

Yes, just remember if you use a larger pan that the cake will not be quite as deep and will need less cooking time. Depending on the size of the pan you use, start checking for doneness after 45 minutes. If a wooden toothpick comes out cleanly then the cake is done.

Save for later

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Other recipes

If you enjoyed this pear and banana bread, you may also like to try some of my other easy baking recipes:

The recipe

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