Upside-Down Pear Cake
It may no longer be Huckleberry season, as I alluded to in my last post, but the majority of pears coming to market at this time of year are fresh and American. Pound for pound the best American pears I’ve ever tasted are the Royal Riviera variety, which are sold domestically by Harry and David (and perhaps others as well). You absolutely must have fresh pears for this recipe, canned just won’t work, and if Royal Riviera are not an option, a slightly under ripe Bartlett will work.
- 1 stick plus 1 Tbsp salted butter
- 4 large pears or 6 small ones (substitute apples, apricots, plums…)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside to cool. Butter a non-stick 8-inch cake pan.
Wash, peel and cut up the pears. Lay the pieces of fruit at the bottom of the pan.
In a food processor or a medium mixing-bowl, blend the sugar with the eggs until the mixture whitens slightly. Add in the flour, almond powder and baking powder, and blend well. Pour in the butter, and blend again. Pour the batter evenly over the fruit, and put into the oven to bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
Let the cake settle on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Invert it on a plate (the fruit side will be on top). If any bit of fruit has stuck to the bottom of the pan, simply scrape them and place them back where they belong on the cake. Use a second plate to invert the cake again, the fruit side will then be at the bottom. Let cool and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Thanks so much for this Fantastic recipe!! It is a much welcome addition to my recipe box. I had purchased a box of pears from Costco and they were wonderful in this cake. Very light, buttery and delicious. I’m sure it will become a seasonal favorite for my family.
Mike, I was just given a large bag of slightly under-ripe Bartlett pears this morning. I’m going to have at it tonight. I’ll let you know what I think but my guess is that I’ll agree with MorganW.
Thanks Morgan. Keep in mind the same recipe works will all kinds of fruit.
Dave: Working on the barter system?
Rachel had a great idea 2 nights ago when we made this again ourselves….the addition of Crème anglaise to the top of the cake.
Follow cake recipe as usual.
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup white sugar
In a small, saucepan, heat cream and vanilla until bubbles form at edges.
While cream is heating, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Gradually add egg yolk mixture back to remaining milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Process will take about 20 minutes. Allow crème anglaise to cool to near room temperature and spoon on top of pear cake. Refrigerate until crème anglaise is set slightly, cut…and enjoy.
Mike, I wish I was working on the barter system. Instead I’m living off the kindness of friends – which could be worse. I made the cake tonight for dinner tomorrow. The Crème anglaise is a great idea and good for my cardiologist’s income too. I’ll do it. Do you strain your custards before cooling?
Generally speaking I would strain the custard if I were just throwing in some berries or fruit, but when its being used as a topping on a galette it’s not really necessary.
I made this too. Equally good and the Creme anglaise was a good tip. It added a nice textural contrast and smooth mouth feel. Loved it.
My name is Clotilde Dusoulier, and I am the author of the blog Chocolate & Zucchini (http://chocolateandzucchini.com).
It has been brought to my attention that you have published a photo and a recipe from my blog on your own website: this recipe is a word-for-word reprint of mine: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2005/10/my_grandmothers_pear_cake.php and it uses the photo I’ve taken, too.
As stated on my website, the entire content of Chocolate & Zucchini — both text and photography — is submitted to copyright, and all rights are reserved. This means that you are welcome to link to a post if you like it, but you cannot reprint it, nor the accompanying picture, without requesting my permission first.
I ask that you please amend this post to remove the picture and text you’ve copied from my website. You can include a link to the original recipe if you’d like.
Thank you,
Clotilde.