Pear & Ginger Upside Down Cake

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by jagritikumar

I’ve always been fascinated by upside down cakes. The caramel-y fruit that is so easy to cut through, the soft crumb and the beautiful combination of fresh and baked fruits. What’s not to love?

I tried baking a plum upside down cake once and it was a disaster (I need to remake and fix :)) and while baking this cake, it looked like another disaster was in the offing. But, lo and behold, it turned out perfectly ♥️♥️

The pears are coated in a simple caramel, laced with a bit of rum. You can skip the rum if you don’t drink, but if you do, then enjoy the little sweet kick it adds to each bite 🙂

The caramel can be a little tricky (I made it twice because the first batch became a sticky lump). Swirl the sugar once it has started to melt and don’t use a spoon/spatula at all. Once the sugar is golden brown, add the butter and swirl melt. Take it off the heat, add a little salt and rum and let it cool.

The sliced pears are coated in the caramel and placed at the bottom of the pan. The spiced batter then comes on top. It is a thick batter, mildly sweet and lightly spiced. You taste notes of ginger, nutmeg and cardamom, all of which complement the sweetness of the pear and caramel.

When you eat this, you will taste such a lovely range of textures and flavours that it will keep you going back for more 🙂

Unlike other cakes, it is important to flip this cake out as soon as it is out of the oven, else the caramel will harden and stick to the bottom. Once flipped, let it cool to room temperature and serve. You can totally have this with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side 🙂

The cake is perfect for an afternoon pick me up, as a brunch dessert or just a change in pace from regular baking. It is light, fresh and delicious! You need to try this now!

Pear & Ginger Upside Down Cake

  • Servings: 10 slices
  • Difficulty: Moderate
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Ingredients

Caramel:

50g granulated sugar

50g unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp dark rum

1 large pear – peeled and thinly sliced

Cake:

1 cup (120g) all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg powder

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

100g butter – room temperature

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. To make the caramel, place sugar in a non stick pot on low heat. Once the sugar starts to melt, swirl occasionally (without a spoon) till it all becomes golden brown (5-7mins)
  2. Add the butter and swirl again till melted. Take the pot off the heat and swirl in the salt and rum. Let it cool for 10 mins
  3. Once cool, soak each pear slice in the caramel and place the slices on the bottom of the lined springform pan (use a 7-8 inch pan, grease it and line with baking paper). Arrange the slices in a circle and then drizzle a little bit of the remaining caramel over the pears
  4. Pre heat the oven to 180C
  5. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and spices in a small bowl
  6. In a larger bowl, whisk the butter and sugar for 1-2 mins till light and fluffy
  7. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each. Mix in the vanilla extract
  8. Fold in the flour mixture till just combined
  9. Transfer the batter on top of the pears and smoothen the top
  10. Bake for 35-40 mins till a tester comes out clean
  11. Flip the cake out immediately and remove the baking paper so that the caramel doesn’t harden and stick to the pan
  12. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Slice and serve!

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jagritikumar

A baker, a dancer, a marketeer. Sometimes lazy. Always up to try new food, read interesting books and meet amazing people :)