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Pear Upside Down Cake Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Pear Upside Down Cake Recipe

I still remember the first time I flipped this cake out of the pan and watched that sticky caramel pour down the sides. I honestly gasped a little. I'd made pineapple upside down cake before, but swapping in pears changed the whole game for me
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter melted with the sugar for that glossy caramel base
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar gives the topping its deep, sticky sweetness
  • 3 pear halves fresh or canned, sliced thin so they layer neatly
  • 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour the backbone of a soft, tender crumb
  • 1 cup granulated sugar sweetens the cake without overpowering the caramel
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder gives the cake its gentle rise
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt balances all that sweetness
  • 3/4 cup milk keeps the batter smooth and moist
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil locks in moisture better than butter alone here
  • 1 large egg binds everything together
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract rounds out the flavor with warmth

Method
 

  1. Start by setting your oven to 350°F so it's fully heated by the time your batter is ready. While it warms up, lightly grease your 9-inch round cake pan even though the caramel will coat most of it. This just gives you a little insurance against sticking around the edges.
  2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring often until it turns smooth and glossy. I've microwaved this in 30-second bursts before, but low heat on the stove gives me more control. Pour this warm caramel straight into your prepared cake pan.
  3. Lay your thin pear slices over the caramel, working from the center outward in a spiral pattern. I like to overlap them slightly so there are no caramel gaps once it bakes. This step is where the cake gets its signature pretty top, so take an extra minute here.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Getting these evenly distributed now means you won't end up with pockets of baking powder in your finished cake. Set this bowl aside while you work on the wet mixture.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla until just blended. I don't overthink this step a fork works fine if you don't feel like pulling out a whisk. You just want everything loosely combined before the dry ingredients go in.
  6. Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until just incorporated. I always stop as soon as I don't see streaks of flour anymore. Overmixing here is the fastest way to end up with a dense, rubbery cake instead of a soft one.
  7. Pour the batter gently over the pears and caramel, spreading it evenly to the edges. Place the cake on the middle rack with a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch drips. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  8. Let the cake rest on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before flipping it. Any sooner and the topping can slide apart; any later and the caramel may cool and stick to the pan. Place your serving plate over the pan, flip confidently, and lift the pan away.

Notes

  • I always use a 9-inch pan exactly anything smaller and the caramel bubbles over the sides.
  • I let the caramel cook gently instead of rushing it, since a rushed caramel tends to separate.
  • I slice my pears thin and even so they cook at the same rate and layer neatly.
  • I never skip the cookie sheet underneath I learned that lesson the messy way.
  • I let the cake cool for the full 10 minutes before flipping, no matter how tempted I am to rush it.