My friends – I had to repost this recipe for this Pear Upside-Down Cake. Because:
1) It’s amazingly good. If you missed it the first time, that’s not okay. I’m telling you, you need to try this.
2) The pictures are waaaaaay better (which will hopefully entice you even more to make it. Seriously. It’s calling out your name). It’s amazing what a little practice and a better camera can do over the course of a year. (Still lots of room for improvement, but we’ll take pride in our small victories.)
This cake, this cake, this cake. What can I say? It’s just that good. I have to serve me up a big ole’ piece from the get go because there are never leftovers. In fact, someone is usually hiding in the corner, licking off the serving plate.
This cake is also awesome with pineapple, or even apple touched with a little bit of cinnamon (I still need to post these versions, but they are fairly straightforward so you can experiment a little, if you want). Why is this the best upside-down cake? And I mean, THE BEST? Because it has a perfect cakey crumb and the caramelized topping is just to die for. The last time I made it, someone asked, “How exactly did you make that caramel topping? It’s soooooo good.”
How did I make it? Well, it’s easy really. Butter and brown sugar baby! Give this recipe a try and see how easy this cake really is and how impressed everyone will be.
(This version pictured here is with all milk as the original recipe calls for. In the previous version posted, the pictures show a deeper colored cake because 1/2 of the milk was substituted with pear juice)
Pear Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 fresh pear halves or canned, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1¼ cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together over low heat, stirring occasionally until dissolved. (Alternatively use your microwave at half power or less in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until melted. If you go longer or at a higher power setting, you may have a buttery mess on your hands. Consider yourself warned!)
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Pour caramel mixture into 9-inch round cake pan.
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Top with sliced pears, working from the inside to the outside, creating a spiraled pattern.
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In a medium mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
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In a large mixing bowl, mix together milk, oil, egg, and vanilla until just blended.
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Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir until just incorporated.
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Pour cake batter into pan over caramel and pears.
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Place cake in middle rack in oven. On a lower rack, place a large cookie sheet directly underneath the cake pan to catch any possible drips.
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Bake approximately 50-60 minutes, or until caramel has bubbled up around the sides, cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with dry crumbs adhering to it.
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Remove from oven and let cake stand for approximately 10 minutes on a wire rack. (This is an important step: if you turn cake out too soon, some of the topping of your cake might fall apart; alternatively, if you turn cake out too late, you may not be able to get the cake out because the caramel will have cooled too much and stuck to the pan.)
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Flip cake out onto a serving dish and serve warm or cold.
Recipe Notes
Quick Tips:
1. It is absolutely essential to put a cookie sheet underneath the cake while baking. If not, you may be doing a thorough scrub down of your oven when you are done as a little caramel may leak out.
2. A 9-inch pan the perfect size for this recipe.
Smaller - you will incur some of the caramel bubbling over as mentioned above (you can try leaving out a little of the batter to avoid this).
Larger - the caramel won't bubble up the sides quite right - still delicious, but not living up to its full potential.
Change it Up:
1. Substitute approximately 6 fresh or canned pineapple rings in place of pears for the traditional Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
2. Substitute 1-2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced and sprinkled with a little bit of cinnamon (and nutmeg) in place of the pears.
2. Replace ½ of the milk with juice from the canned fruit you are using for a denser, slightly sweeter, and deeper-colored cake.
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it looks yummy!
Thank you! And I assure you, it is!
This looks amazing! I love pineapple upside down cake and I am sure I would love this! Pinned!
Thanks Tiffany! Upside-down cakes are da bomb!
This was amazing. I made it tonight for a dinner party. Everyone loved it!
Crystal – I’m so glad that you liked it! This is seriously one of my favorite cakes of all time.
I made a double mix for two cakes for a work function. Super easy and super yummy. Served the next day, warmed slightly and with a generous spoon of whipped cream.
Glad that you liked it! It’s seriously my favorite. And good to hear you were generous with the whipped cream – just like it should be!
I made this cake!!! It’s delish! When your having last minute company this is a great desert!
I served it warm. I got a lot of compliments. Used canned pears. Can’t wait to try canned peaches.
I also had canned cherries and walnut halves. I put them between the pears. Thank you for the recipe.
Can’t wait to try peaches!
I’m glad you loved it. It’s seriously one of my favs!
Outstanding! This is an easy recipe that ends up looking and tasting like it came from an upscale bakery. I substituted 3/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce + a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup in the cake batter to cut down sweetness. (Dropped the milk by 1/2 cup per conversion instructions I found.) We had run out of white flour, so I used whole wheat and upped the baking powder to about 2 tsp to deal with the heavier flour. Maybe it was beginner’s luck, but the rise was great with consistent small bubbles and satisfying texture. Next time I’ll add some spices, as the whole wheat has a slightly strong flavor. The caramel has such a deep, rich taste, especially where it crisped a little on the edges. Reheated it gently in the microwave this morning for breakfast. My wife is lucky I was strong enough to stop eating it and leave her some. Great recipe!
Steve – So glad that this turned out for you! I would love to include some of your modifications in the Notes section. Also, you are speaking my language talking about that crisped caramel edge……that is the ABSOLUTE best! Drooling just thinking about it.
This Pear Upside-Down Cake recipe by Food Apparel is mouthwatering! Have you ever experimented with other fruits for this cake? The tip about using a cookie sheet to catch drips is great. Any more tips or variations to share? Can’t wait to try this delicious dessert!