Spicy Pear Upside-Down Cake
This is a perfect cake for a winter dessert. Sweet pears are nestled on top of a warm spice cake. Serve with sweetened whipped cream - Delicious.
Recipe type: Dessert | Upside-Down Cake
Serves: 6 to 8
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9" Round Layer Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Covered, Room Temperature
Help: Cake Hints and Tips
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Help: Cake Hints and Tips
TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,
accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.Ingredients
Topping:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pear syrup (from the drained pear halves)
- 1 can (1 pound) pear halves, drained, reserving 1 tablespoon syrup
Batter:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup milk (preferably whole milk)
- ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Topping:
- Melt butter in a 9 inch round layer cake pan in warm oven. Remove pan from oven, add brown sugar, flour, and pear syrup; stir to combine and spread mixture evenly in bottom of pan. Place pear halves cut-side down on top of the brown sugar mixture.
Batter:
- In a large bowl, combine butter, egg, milk, brown sugar, and granulated sugar; whisk together until mixed. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves; stir to mix.
- Bake: Pour batter evenly over pear halves. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until top springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
- Upside-Down: Place baking pan on wire cooling rack to cool for 3 minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a small kitchen knife. Invert onto a serving plate. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so the topping drips down onto the cake.
- Serving Suggestion: Serve warm or cool. If desired, serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Adapted from Pillsbury's Bake Off Dessert Cookbook 1968