Easy Pear Cake Mix Cobbler (5 ingredients)
This is a pantry staple dessert, similar to a cobbler but even easier. You layer the filling, sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top, drizzle the butter and let the oven do the rest. It's wonderfully low-stress and ready in 45 minutes.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the fruit layer:
- 34 ounces pear slices in syrup 4 cans of 8.5 ounces each
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
For the cobbler topping:
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 15.25 ounce box of yellow cake mix white cake also works
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready an 8x11-inch ceramic or glass dish. Or a 9-inch round or square dish. If you use a larger one, the dessert will not be as tall.
Pear filling:
- Dump 34 ounces pear slices in syrup into the dish, spreading to cover the whole pan. If you have halves, coarsely slice them first or in the same dish, with a knife and fork so they don't slip.
- Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and drizzle 1 tablespoon lemon juice over. Stir lightly to mix.
Cake mix topping:
- Sprinkle a 15.25 ounce box of yellow cake mix on top of the fruit, even it out carefully, and then pour 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, on top of the cake mix, covering it as much as you can. A spot here and there is fine, but not large patches.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and dry and the filling bubbles around the edges, checking close to the end of the baking time by carefully lifting the topping to ensure it's fully baked inside. Bake it more if necessary.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of the syrup on top.
- Store leftovers covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
If the canned pears are not sweet enough for your taste, you can sprinkle a tablespoon or two of brown sugar with the cinnamon. I find that the cake mix is sweet enough, but adapt the dessert to your preference.
Cake mix distribution: Sprinkle the boxed mix evenly over the fruit so it absorbs juices in all areas. Clumps of dry cake mix are usually from uneven coverage.
Butter coverage is key, and melted butter gives the most even distribution. Pour it slowly and evenly over the surface. A few small dry spots are fine. Large dry patches are not. If needed, drizzle a little extra butter halfway through baking.
Make sure the topping is fully baked. It may be golden brown and the juices bubbling, but lift some of the dough here and there to check that it's not still wet inside.
