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    Home » Recipes » Bread and scones recipes

    Pear and banana loaf

    Published: Sep 15, 2022 · Modified: Aug 12, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to 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.
    Jump to:
    • Banana pear cake
    • What you will need
    • What to do
    • Tips and FAQ
    • Save for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    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, you will also need a box or cheese 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**

    Ingredients for pear and banana bread.

    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 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, chop them into small dice rather than grating them.

    Set the pears and bananas aside.

    Butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.

    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 ½ teaspoon of salt to 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.

    A loaf tin lined with baking parchment.

    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 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.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    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, but remember if you use a larger pan 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

    If you'd like to make this pear and banana loaf yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    If you enjoy this recipe you may want to try some of these easy recipes too:

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    You can find these and many more recipes on my cake recipes page.

    📋The recipe

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

    Pear and banana loaf

    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?
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Baking
    British
    Calories 220
    Prep 15 minutes minutes
    Cook 1 hour hour
    Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 8" x 4$ loaf
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    4.88 from 8 votes

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Mixing bowl
    • Loaf tin 8" x 4"
    • Box grater
    • Baking parchment

    Ingredients

    • 4 large very ripe bananas mashed (approx 2 cups)
    • 2 large ripe pears peeled and grated (approx 1 cup)
    • â…“ cup / 75 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
    • ¾ cup / 150 grams caster sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1½ cups / 210 grams plain all-purpose flour
    • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F
    • Peel and mash the bananas. Peel and grate the pears. Set both aside.
      4 large very ripe bananas, 2 large ripe pears
    • Measure the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and cream them together until they are light and fluffy.
      ⅓ cup / 75 grams unsalted butter, ¾ cup / 150 grams caster sugar
    • Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix well until creamy.
      1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    • Add the flour and baking powder. If you are using salt, add that at the same time.
      1½ cups / 210 grams plain all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
    • Add the grated pears and mashed bananas.
    • Mix thoroughly until all the flour has been incorporated and you have a nice thick cake batter.
    • 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 end to make it easier for you to get the cake out of the pan.
    • Transfer the batter to the baking tin.
      Bake in a preheated oven for one hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out cleanly.
    • 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.

    Notes

    You can use a larger loaf tin, but the cooking time will be shorter because the cake will not be quite so deep.  Start to check for doneness after 45 minutes.
    Substitute the fresh pears for canned pears, but drain all liquid away before using so that you don't upset the liquid ratio of the ingredients.  When using canned pears you should cut them into a small dice rather than grating them.
    Nutrition assumes the loaf will be cut into 12 slices, and is per slice.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 220kcal | Carbohydrates - 40.7g | Protein - 3g | Fat - 6g | Saturated Fat - 3.4g | Cholesterol - 29mg | Sodium - 140mg | Potassium - 287mg | Fiber - 2.3g | Sugar - 21g | Vitamin D - 5µg | Calcium - 39mg | Iron - 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.88 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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    1. Catherine

      April 09, 2023 at 8:39 pm

      Please update the recipe card to indicate when to add the pears and bananas.

      Reply
      • VJ

        April 10, 2023 at 7:44 am

        Oops - done! Thank you for pointing it out 🙂

        Reply

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