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Pear upside-down cake

One pear upside-down cake

Pear upside-down cake

Name: Pear upside-down cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 3 ripe pears peeled, cored and quartered; 220g unsalted butter softened; 120g golden caster sugar; 100g light brown soft sugar; 3 eggs; 100g soured cream; 220g plain flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 75g caster sugar; 75g butter; 3 tbsp maple syrup

Esther Clark

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Serves 8 - 10

More effort

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 10 mins

plus cooling

A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.5 ratingsRate

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Bake this beautifully light sponge made with a layer of pears and caramelised sugar and spiced with cinnamon. Serve in slices as it is, or with creamy custard

Vegetarian

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Adorned with pretty white blossoms in mid-spring, by autumn, pear trees are producing their sweet fruits, which can range in colour from green and yellow, to red. They’re a welcome addition to jams, puds, pies and cake.

This light sponge is spiced with cinnamon and baked with a layer of pears and caramelised sugar. Cooking the pears at the base ensures they’re tender and sweet. Use ripe but still firm fruits. Serve as is or with custard.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

3 ripe pears

peeled, cored and quartered
220g unsalted butter

softened
120g golden caster sugar
100g light brown soft sugar
3 eggs
100g soured cream
220g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the caramel

75g caster sugar
75g butter
3 tbsp maple syrup

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Nutrition: Per serving (10)

kcal502
fat28g
saturates17g
carbs55g
sugars38g
fibre2g
protein5g
salt0.73g

Method

step 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base of a deep 20cm springform cake tin with a circle of parchment that goes up the side by about 1cm, to hold the caramel.
step 2

To make the caramel, sprinkle the sugar into a small frying pan in an even layer, then warm over a low heat until the sugar starts to melt, swirling the pan until it starts to turn golden brown. Once it does, swiftly whisk in the butter, syrup and a pinch of sea salt, then pour into the base of the tin. Arrange the pear quarters on top in a circle.
step 3

BAeat the butter and both sugars together using an electric whisk for 6-8 mins, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the soured cream. Add all the dry ingredients and beat for 10 seconds to incorporate. Spoon the cake mixture over the pears, gently smooth the surface, then bake for 1 hr until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If any wet crumbs cling to the skewer, bake for a further 5-10 mins. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then invert onto a serving plate and remove the parchment before slicing.

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A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.5 ratings

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