Classic Pear Upside Down Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make the topping: Melt butter in the bottom of a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Swirl to coat the bottom; remove from heat, and cool. Cut pears into 1/4-inch-thick wedges, and arrange them in a circular pattern over the brown-sugar mixture to cover completely; set aside.
• Make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract; beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine.
• Alternating with the milk, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix, on low speed, just until the flour is incorporated.
• In a large bowl, beat reserved egg whites and the cream of tartar with a hand mixer until stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg whites into the batter. Transfer to skillet. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly, being careful not to disturb the pears.
• Bake until well browned on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan, and immediately invert the cake onto a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and 3/4 cup butter; beat at low speed until crumbly. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well at medium speed after each addition. Add vanilla; beat well. Add flour, cornmeal and baking powder; mix well.
• Place 1/4 cup butter in 9-inch round cake pan. Heat in oven for about 4 minutes or until butter is melted. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Arrange pear slices over mixture in pan, slightly overlapping. Spoon and carefully spread cake batter over pears.
• Bake at 350°F. for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Butter the inside of a 5-quart round slow cooker, then line it completely with a large sheet of foil and butter the foil. Turn the cooker on low. Sprinkle the cut-up butter and the brown sugar over the foil in the cooker. Add the pears, arranging them in a circle, cut-side down.
• Mix the flour, pecans, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. In the large bowl of a mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on low speed until just blended. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed just until the batter is smooth. Spread over the pears in the slow cooker. Drape paper towels over the top of the slow cooker (not touching the cake) to prevent condensation from dripping onto the cake. Cover and cook on low until the cake sets and the sides brown, about 3 hours. Turn off the cooker and let the cake rest about 20 minutes.
• Lift the cake by the foil and place on a rack to cool. Carefully invert onto a platter and peel off the foil. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Spread butter in an 8-in. square baking dish. Arrange pear slices in a single layer over butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans., In a large bowl, beat cake mix, milk and egg on medium speed for 3-5 minutes; pour over pears. , Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet (not nonstick), simmer honey until it begins to reduce, caramelize and darken in color, 6 to 10 minutes. Do not let honey burn; if it starts to smell burned, turn off heat.
• Arrange pears, close together and cut-side up, in a circular pattern in skillet, stem ends pointing toward center. Simmer over medium heat, turning them from one cut side to the other, until they begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.
• Flip pears over to cut-side down and scatter with thyme sprigs if using. Transfer skillet to oven and roast, uncovered, until very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour and salt; stir in 1/2 cup butter.
• When pears are soft, remove skillet from oven, discard thyme sprigs and brush edges of pears with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Pour batter on roasted pears and scatter almonds over batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool for 30 minutes in pan. Run an offset spatula along edges of pan to loosen cake; carefully invert cake onto a serving platter. Serve warm or cooled.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch (3" high) round cake pan.
• Sprinkle with brown or maple sugar.
• Cream 5 tablespoons butter (or margarine) with brown and white sugar.
• Add maple syrup and salt.
• Spread topping mixture into prepared pan.
• Press pear slices into sugar mixture, arranging them in a spoke design.
• Set aside while preparing cake batter.
• Sift together dry ingredients (flour-cinnamon). Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream 6 tablespoons and 1 cup brown or maple sugar together until light.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
• Add sour cream, beating until smooth.
• Mix in maple syrup.
• Fold in flour mixture and then walnuts, if using.
• Pour batter into prepared pan (over pears).
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes.
• Run knife around cake and invert cake onto platter, leave pan on cake an additional 5 minutes before removing pan very carefully.
• Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream topping (recipe follows).
• To make whipped cream topping: Beat cream until soft peaks form.
• Add sugar and bourbon, if using.
• Continue beating until soft peaks form again.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F.
• Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and corn syrup and evenly coat the bottom and sides of a 10 inch glass pie plate with the mixture. When the almonds are cool, arrange around the bottom rim of the pie plate, with a few in the center, pressing them into the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the pear halves like spokes of a wheel on top of the brown sugar mixture.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the pastry flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and thoroughly mix.
• In another bowl, whisk together the softened butter, sour cream, egg yolks and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer at medium speed about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until thick and smooth.
• Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly over the fruit, building up the outside edges so the cake will be level when baked. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool 3 to 5 minutes (no longer) and then invert onto a serving plate, repositioning the fruit as necessary.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Cut a rectangle out of waxed paper to fit an 8x12-inch cake pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray, then place waxed paper liner over the bottom.
• Melt butter in a large skillet. Add 2 cups sugar and cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Add pear slices; reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add cranberries.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
• Combine remaining 2 cups sugar, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl using a hand mixer until cake batter is smooth. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Fold in walnuts.
• Pour pear-cranberry mixture into the prepared cake pan. Use a spatula to spread cake batter evenly on top of fruit.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
• Place a platter on top of the cake pan and carefully flip the pan and platter over, allowing the cake to settle on the platter. Lift cake pan off and serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Cut pears lengthwise in half; remove cores, then cut pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange on bottom of 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Combine sugar and spice; sprinkle over pears. Top with cranberries.
• Beat next 5 ingredients with mixer until blended; pour over ingredients in pan.
• Bake 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool 10 min. Run knife around edges of pan to loosen cake. Place large platter over cake; invert cake onto platter. Gently remove pan. Cool cake slightly. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter with 1/4 cup sugar in a 12-inch cast-iron or large skillet over medium. Arrange pears in a circular fashion, around the edge of the pan. Cook, without turning pears, until pears are golden underneath, 18 to 20 minutes (rotating pan as necessary for even browning).
• In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, combine remaining sugar, eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, oil, and vanilla; whisk to combine. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk until just combined.
• Pour batter over pears; spread to cover. Transfer to the oven; bake until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a serving platter.

Steps:

• Combine butter and sugar in 8-inch cake pan.
• Melt butter over low heat and spread evenly over bottom of pan.
• Pare fruit and slice lengthwise.
• Remove core and slice thinly lengthwise.
• Arrange slices in a circle in pan and sprinkle with nutmeg.
• Beat egg yolks well.
• Add syrup and beat more.
• Stir in vanilla and melted shortening.
• Sift together and stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
• Stir in bran.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into batter.
• Spread over pears.
• Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes and turn out onto plate while still very warm.
• Serve with whipped or ice cream (optional).

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside. Toss pears with lemon juice; set aside.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add pears, cut side down, in a single layer. Cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Transfer to a plate.
• To the same saute pan, add the Poire William, and sprinkle with the rest of the granulated sugar. Cook until reduced to a syrup, about 1 minute. Pour into cake pan, coating the bottom. Place pears in pan, cut side down, arranging in a single layer (there may be a few leftover slices).
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar, and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, and continue beating to combine. Add molasses and fresh ginger. Gradually add flour mixture. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and boiling water, beating with a fork. Add to the batter, and mix well.
• Pour batter into cake pan over the pears. Bake for 25 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes, until cake springs back when touched in the center. Remove from oven. Cool for 1 hour, then invert onto serving plate. Serve with rum-raisin ice cream or rum-spiked whipped cream.