I’m a football orphan. You’ve heard of football widows, but me? I’m a football orphan. And the culprit isn’t whom you’d expect. Dad played college football and he enjoys watching the games on TV. However, he doesn’t mind doing other things during the games and can hold a full conversation without interjecting some sports related commentary. He’s content to sit in his chair, half watching the game, half playing some other computer game, quietly enjoying a relaxing Sunday. He’s a pretty casual football fan.
Mom . . . yeah . . . not so much. Don’t get me wrong, if things need to be done, Mom does them regardless of what is on TV. But on Sundays, during the Lions games, she is a bit of a lost cause. She prefers not to have many distractions, and trying to talk to her about important stuff doesn’t really work, as I can’t manage to tear her attention away from the game.
The games all have trained professionals doing play-by-play commentary, but it’s like Mom isn’t aware of this fact, can’t hear them, because I all too frequently hear her basically calling the games over the commentators, creating quite the cacophony of sound. “That’s a first down” and “Touchdown” can often be heard being yelled in our house on Sunday afternoons. Worst of all are the outbursts of shouting and shrieking, as though it will make the players run faster or catch the pass, along with Mom turning from play-by-play announcer to coach, criticizing plays, wondering why they were run. This is only a little distracting while I’m trying to work. A few gentle reminders calm Mom down . . . at least for a few minutes!
I found plenty of calm in this Pear Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze. I’ve wanted to make this cake for a long time and am so glad I finally got around to it. The super moist cake is full of fresh, soft pears and comforting, warm cinnamon. I used the fabulous Warren pears from Frog Hollow and think that made the cake turn out even better. The pears were sweet, juicy, vanilla -y bits of heaven in the super moist and sweetly spiced cake. The crumble is soft in parts and a bit crunchy in others, providing contrasting texture, and the glaze brings it all together with the fantastic maple syrup goodness. It’s not too sweet and is a coffee cake, so it’s breakfast appropriate, but it’s also decadent enough for dessert. Whenever you eat this cake, it’s definitely a touchdown!
Don’t forget to enter my Warren pears giveaway from Frog Hollow Farm!
Pear Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 pieces 1x
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups pears, peeled, cored, and diced
Topping
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Glaze
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2–4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
- Make the cake. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I did this by hand, but a hand or stand mixer would work as well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition, until the eggs are fully incorporated and the mixture is once again light and fluffy.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Do three additions of flour and two of sour cream. Add in the vanilla and pears. Stir until the pears are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Make the topping. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter using a fork or your fingers until it is well combined and forms clumps of various sizes. Sprinkle into an even layer over cake batter. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through if necessary, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- While the cake cools, make the glaze. In a small bowl, stir together sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup until smooth. Add more maple syrup as needed until it can be drizzled over the cake. Serve cake warm or cool completely in pan. Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen in pieces, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour or in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute until warmed through.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Haha! I can’t believe your mom gets so into it! Did she meet your dad in college? If so, maybe that is where the intense shouting comes from! I would need desserts to distract myself from the football yelling too and these look perfect 🙂
No, they met way after college. I don’t know where she gets it but it drives me crazy! She’s still the best, though!
Yuuuum! I love coffee cake so I’ll pretty much eat it in way I can get it. Awesome ideas to add pears. 🙂
Haha, I love this story! I am a football fanatic as well. I love SEC football more than the pros, but I do have favorites there and unfortunately neither team is doing very well yet this season!
Love your coffee cake!!
Thankfully Mom can do without college football, or otherwise I would really dislike football season 😉 Thanks, Paula!
That’s a creative name you came up with Laura! Cheer up, you have pear cake with maple glaze to comfort you!
Right now I am obsessed with maple glaze so you can imagine how this coffee cake looks to me! Amazing! Get in ma belly!
★★★★★
It’s funny, the original recipe called for the glaze to be made with brown sugar and water, but I was like water’s not going to add any flavor, so I busted out the maple syrup. Best. Decision. Ever!
I love this kind of homey coffee cake! Maple glaze sounds amazingly decadent.
Oh my! That looks absolutely fantastic! 🙂 I may have to whip this up at some point 🙂
Thanks, Sara, and thanks for visiting 🙂 You should definitely make this cake!
I would think this cake would distract her. I sure would love a piece of it!
I’m a football orphan also! We should form a union or something. It is ROUGH.
But…this cake is beautiful. I can’t think of anything i’d want more right about now!
We totally need to form the Football Orphans Association – there must be more of us 😉 Thanks, Joanne!
Great story about your mom. It made my day with a laugh. The cake sounds great as pears are my favorite fruit.
Thanks for the story.
Thanks for the comment, Eric! That made my day 🙂
Well, I’m pretty sure our brothers and I am to blame for this behavior of you mother’s. Sorry! But the cake looks delicious!
My husband is into Fantasy Football this year and I’m NOT happy about it! 😉
I love pears, but I don’t think I’ve ever baked with them. Your coffee cake looks absolutely delicious and I love the maple glaze!
Baking with pears is the best! They take on a wonderful flavor and texture.
The Pear Coffee Cake looks great! I wish my mom was into football games, that would give me a reason to go visit more often! LOL. At least she is not playing fantasy football, cause you would miss her on Thursdays, Sunday’s, and Monday night! 🙂
★★★★★
Yes! So glad no one plays fantasy football in our house. That would be crazy!
As a kid my mom made coffee cake often for us so this recipe brought out some smiles – thank you. I especially love that maple glaze!
I love when food reminds us of childhood! Thanks, Pamela!