Pear upside down cake with a brown sugar caramel base and a fan of tender, spiced pears. An easy fall cake that flips out of the pan into a showstopper.
Pear upside down cake is what I make when there are gorgeous pears sitting out and I want something that looks impressive without much fuss. A brown sugar caramel on the bottom, a fan of tender pears, and warm fall spices: clove, cinnamon, cardamom.
Upside down cakes are not as hard as they look. It takes a little bit of time to carefully arrange your pears at the bottom so they end up looking as beautiful as the top of your cake.
Which pears to use
I make this with ripe Bartlett pears. Look for ones that give slightly at the stem end but aren't soft all over, so they slice cleanly and hold their shape in the fan.
Firmer baking pears like Bosc and Anjou should work well here too, though Bartlett is what I reach for. Whatever you use, ripe is the thing to get right: underripe pears stay firm and a little bland after baking, and overripe ones turn to mush when you flip the cake.
Tips for making pear upside down cake
- Grease your pan well so you get a clean release. That keeps the pear pattern looking perfect.
- Don't use a springform pan. I've had the caramel leak out and make a mess in my oven.
- Let the cake cool, then run a plastic knife around the edge before you flip. Place your platter over the pan, turn it over, and jiggle gently. A little patience leaves you with a show stopper.
Variations
- Sprinkle the top with chopped toasted walnuts or almonds after you flip it.
- I didn't use ginger here, but you can adjust the spices on the pears to taste. A chai spice blend works well too.
This is an easy to make yet impressive cake that you can serve to your guests or take to your next potluck!
Not quite ready to make this upside down pear cake recipe? PIN it now and SAVE it for later.
Got more pears to use up? Try my pear frangipane tart or pear and goat cheese tart next.
Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake
An easy pear upside down cake with tender, spiced pears set in a brown sugar caramel. Flip it out warm and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided, plus extra for greasing pan
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup +1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2-3 ripe pears
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove, divided
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 inch round pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment. Grease it with butter again.
- In a small saucepan combine ¼ cup unsalted butter with ½ cup brown sugar. Mix on low heat until the butter and sugar are melted. Pour it into your cake pan and evenly cover the bottom.
- Peel, core and thinly slice your pears. Sprinkle them with 1 Tbs sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cardamom, ⅛ teaspoon clove. Toss to evenly coat.
- Arrange them over your sauce in the cake pan in a nice fanned out design. Remember the arrangement will show as the top so be neat!
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining spices in a large bowl.
- In an electric mixer, beat the remaining ¾ cup of butter and ¾ cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla. On low speed alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk in two batches. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Bake the cake at 350°F until a tester comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes.
- As soon as the pan is cool enough to touch, place a plate over the cake and invert the cake onto the plate. Gently shake the pan to release and carefully remove the parchment paper if it sticks. Serve with ice cream if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 413Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 448mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 3gSugar: 21gProtein: 5g
This nutrition information is only an approximate provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. Information comes from Nutritionix, an automated nutrition calculator.
Baker Street says
I love that shot of pears! the idea of baked spiced pears sounds divine. The cake looks so delicious!
Paula says
Hello spiced pears is right! What a fabulous looking cake. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Kathy Mercure says
Yum! I have bookmarked this page to try this delicious cake, and will be back to check out your site. Thanks for sharing.
Halley says
I'm going to try this today — I'm not sure my pears are ripe enough, but I'm impatient so here we go!
Daniela says
Petit Avatar - Thank you very much for your wonderful msegase and wish you the same. * * . . * * We Wish You a Merry * * . . * * Christmas We Wish You A Merry * * . . * * Christmas * * . . * * ...And A Happy New Year! * * . ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰ ۰