Pear & Cardamom Upside-Down Cake
Recipe and photos by Kate.
With vanilla crème fraîche.
We served this at our fall dinner party. At the first bite, I wasn't sure about the slightly drier crumb. By the second, with the crème fraîche, I knew it was exactly as it should be. I went back for more over the following evenings.
Recipe Information
Makes: One 9-inch cake, about 8 servings
Oven temperature: 350°F
Baking time: Begin checking at 40 minutes. The original recipe estimates 40–48 minutes, but use the toothpick test rather than relying only on the clock.
Cooling time: 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out, then let it cool until warm or room temperature.
Pan: A 9-inch round metal cake pan
Ingredients
For the pears and topping
3 firm-ripe Bosc pears
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the cake
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus a little for the pan
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup full-fat sour cream
¼ cup whole milk
For the vanilla crème fraîche
1 cup crème fraîche
1½ tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Tiny pinch of kosher salt
Preparation
1. Get the pan and pears ready
Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the center.
Butter the cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
Peel the pears, cut out the cores and slice them. You want pears that are ripe but still firm enough to hold their shape.
2. Make the topping
Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. You're just melting it here, not browning it.
Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup and salt until combined.
Spread the mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange the pear slices over it, overlapping them slightly. This will become the top of the cake when you turn it out.
3. Mix the cake batter
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom together in a bowl.
In another bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for about 3–4 minutes, until lighter and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla bean paste.
Stir the sour cream and milk together in a small bowl.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and milk. Begin and end with the flour. Mix just until everything comes together.
4. Fill the pan and bake
Spoon the batter over the pears and gently spread it into an even layer. Take your time so you don't move the pears around too much.
Bake on the center rack. Begin checking at 40 minutes.
The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, without wet batter. Try not to push it all the way into the fruit topping.
5. Turn the cake out
Let the cake cool in its pan for 10 minutes.
Run a knife gently around the edge. Place a serving plate over the pan, then, wearing oven mitts, carefully turn the plate and pan over together. The pan and topping will still be hot.
Lift off the pan and remove the parchment. Let the cake cool until warm or room temperature before serving.
6. Make the vanilla crème fraîche
Stir the crème fraîche, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt together until smooth.
Keep it refrigerated until you're ready to serve. Spoon it beside each slice of cake.
Preparing Ahead
You can mix the vanilla crème fraîche ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
Have the cake ingredients measured and the pan ready before you start. The butter needs to be softened for the batter.
A Few Things to Know
Use firm-ripe pears. Very soft pears will be harder to slice and arrange.
Mix the batter only until combined once the flour goes in.
Set a timer for the 10-minute rest before turning the cake out.
Serve it with the vanilla crème fraîche. For me, that combination was what made it.
Food Safety & Allergens
This recipe contains milk, eggs and wheat.
Use oven mitts when turning out the cake, and be careful of the hot topping.
Keep the crème fraîche refrigerated until serving and return it to the refrigerator promptly afterward.
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