Welcoming Fall with a Delicious Pear Upside-Down Cake … Loaded with the Goodness of Pear in a Caramelized Crust, the Perfect Tea Time Cake …!!
Goodbye Summer! It’s the first week of Fall 2019 and here I am with a treat for you guys, a Pear Upside-Down Cake !!
Although it is officially the Fall season, the weather doesn’t seem to be ready yet to let go of summer. It’s still pretty hot outside and the leaves are all green. But nevertheless, I am kick starting my fall baking with this delicious pear cake.
Pear is one of my absolute favorite fall fruits and I love baking with it. Last year I did a Pear Loaf Cake which became a hit among my family and friends, and so this time I thought to tweak the recipe and try out a Pear Upside-Down Cake. It came out really well; the soft textured cake topped with cooked pear in a caramelized crust… a heavenly combination of fruit & cake which takes the flavors to a whole new level! Cooked pear is nothing like the raw fruit, its aroma in itself is satisfying and the sweetness is perfectly balanced and toned down, even if you use ripe pears. But if you are a cake lover with a very sweet tooth, bump it up by adding an extra ¼ cup of granulated sugar along with the other dry ingredients.
This recipe calls for buttermilk and it was during my bake that I realized I did not have it in my pantry, so had to quickly prepare a homemade batch instead of my usual store bought one. In case you are interested in the recipe, here it is below:
Quick fix Homemade Buttermilk recipe instructions (½cup)
- Whisk 4 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp plain yogurt together in a bowl and allow it sit for 5-10 minutes. Your homemade buttermilk is ready.
Pro-tip: Since this is an upside-down cake, the base of the final dish will be the upper layer of the cake when coming out of the oven, which later would go to the bottom once inverted. As the cake rises in the oven, the top layer may not be flat creating an uneven surface once inverted and so the cake will not sit straight and may break apart and collapse. So, you will have to level off the top by trimming the bulges with a knife.
Enjoy this delicious cake along with a cup of tea or coffee, Happy Baking…!
Interested in another pear cake recipe? Then don’t forget to check out my Pear Loaf Cake recipe.
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Pear Upside-Down Cake…Loaded with the Goodness of Pear in a Caramelized Crust, the Perfect Tea Time Cake…!!!
- 2 pears (Bosc or Anjou pear)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)+ 3 tbsp (cubed, cold butter)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup buttermilk
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Peel the pears carefully to remove the skin and slice into halves lengthwise along their stem. Scoop out the core and cut the stems.
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Preheat oven to 350-degree Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper extending it 2 inches above the rim through its sides. Brush with melted butter and keep aside.
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Into the pan, add brown sugar, cubed butter and place it in the oven for 5 minutes to allow the butter to melt. Remove from the oven and arrange the pear halves crosswise in the pan alternating their narrow ends with their cored side facing down flat. Keep it aside.
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Prepare dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy.
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Add eggs one at a time scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition, and continue beating. Add vanilla extract.
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Gradually add flour mix alternating with buttermilk, beating just until combined after each addition. Batter will be very thick.
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Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
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Place the pan in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool for 30-45 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan for the cake to loosen. Lift the parchment paper to take the cake out of the pan onto a flat surface.
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Before inverting the cake, ensure its top surface is flat otherwise it will not sit straight and may break apart and collapse. Level off the top by trimming of the bulges with a knife. Place a serving plate inverted on the top surface, and quickly n carefully invert the cake onto it.
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Remove the parchment paper and slice the cake through the pears and serve, Enjoy!
