Pear Upside Down Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back

Set out pears divided, light brown sugar not packed, and cinnamon before you start Pear Upside Down Cake Baked Until the Center Springs Back. The batch is written for 12 people.

Count on 48 minutes of prep, 27 minutes of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 3 pears divided

For Caramel

• 1 cup light brown sugar not packed
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Batter

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon cloves
• ¾ teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 9 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk

How the cooking goes

Prepare pears

1. Prepare the pears by peeling them and slicing them into quarters long ways. Slice out the core and slice crossways about ¼ inch thick, so you can fan them. Keep it to one side.

Make the Topping

1. Spray a 9 inch round pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment. Keep it to one side, and heat the oven to 325°F convection (with the fan) or 350°F conventional (no fan).
2. Make the caramel, which will be your first layer in the pan. To do this, melt butter in a small sauce pot. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Cook until boiling and sugar has dissolved and caramelized. It will be a medium amber color. The color of leaves in Fall. Pour in the prepared pan and spread out.
3. Arrange pear slices on top artfully. Or don’t! The cake will be just as delicious with the pears scattered willy-nilly.

Make the cake

1. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Keep it to one side.
2. In the bowl of a electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down between each addition. Add the vanilla with the last egg.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture with the buttermilk.
4. Tip into the prepared pan on top of pears and then spread out with an offset spatula.
5. Oven-bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until puffed, deep gold and a cake tester or cake tester comes out with a few clinging crumbs in the center.
6. Release the cake from the sides of the pan while still warm by running a butter knife or offset spatula around the edges. After 15 minutes, flip the cake out onto a rimmed sheet pan or wire rack. The caramel will continue to drip, so make sure you have something to catch it!

After it comes off the heat

Let the pan settle before you slice, so the crumb stays together. Cover leftovers once they are cool.

If you want another plate from Cakes, open Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Baked Until the Center Springs Back and American Flag Cake with a Soft Crumb.