Perfect for autumn, this caramelised pear upside-down cake makes the most of seasonal produce and can be adapted to fit whatever is in season. This cake is versatile and can be enjoyed all year round (plus, it’s absolutely delicious).
Courtesy of Holly Taylor, co-chef and co-founder of Kindling Restaurant in Brighton. Kindling Restaurant is about more than just the delicious food, it is a community of people: staff, customers and suppliers all sharing and celebrating local produce. Nature writes the menu as the seasons inspire the dishes.
Chef Holly says, ‘At Kindling, we are constantly evolving the menu to reflect whatever is local and in season. It’s a lot of fun but also a lot of work developing new recipes and constantly innovating. As a chef I absolutely love it when I find a recipe that is endlessly versatile. Something that delivers on taste and texture but can be easily adapted to wonderful new produce.
Towards the end of the Summer, I decided I wanted to put a cake on the menu, something that was special enough to be worthy of dessert – moist, dancing with flavour and comforting. A cake that would pair just as well with a sweet late harvest chardonnay, as with a rich dark espresso.
This is the autumnal version of that cake, perfect comfort food for those colder months. Rich and sticky, it is equally good served with custard, crème fraiche or ice cream.’
Caramelised pear upside down cake
Equipment
- 20cm cake tin
- melon baller
- heavy bottom pan
- Stand mixer or electric whisk
Ingredients
For the pears
- 2 large pears
- 150 g caster sugar
- 30 ml water (2 tbsp)
For the cake
- 250 g butter softened
- 250 g caster sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds optional
- 5 small eggs (or 4 very large eggs) room temp
- 150 g gluten-free self-raising flour or normal wheat-based self-raising flour
- 150 g ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 30 g whole milk
Method
- Preheat your oven to 160C / Gas Mark 3 and line an 8inch / 20cm round cake tin with baking parchment.
- Peel the pears to remove the skin, then cut them in half and remove the core with a melon baller. Slice each half of pear lengthways into four equally sized pieces, being sure to trim off any pieces of stalk or other less edible parts.
- Arrange your pear slices in a neatly fanned circle in the bottom of your cake tin. Depending on the size of your pears you might end up with a few slices left over for snacking.
- Next make your caramel by placing the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat. As you heat the pan the sugar should dissolve into the water and the syrup should start to boil. You want to boil the syrup until it turns a nice deep caramel colour. You can swirl the pan during the cooking but don’t stir it as this increases the chances of the sugar crystallising.
- As soon as your caramel is the right colour, drizzle it as evenly as possible over your pear slices, then set aside while you prepare the cake mixture.
- First, cream together your butter and sugar using a stand mixer or electric whisk.
- When the mixture is pale and fluffy add in the poppy seeds and almond extract, then beat in your eggs one at a time.
- Sift together your self-raising flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Fold these dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture. Once everything is well incorporated stir in the milk.
- Spoon the cake mixture on top of the pears and carefully level it off with a spatula. If you make a gentle indent in the middle of the cake mixture it will compensate for the rise. This helps make the top of your cake flat when it’s baked, making it a better shape when you turn it upside down.
- Bake the cake in your preheated oven for 1 hour – 1 hour 10 mins until an inserted skewer comes out clean. If you’re using a sprung form cake tin, I recommend baking the cake with an oven tray on the shelf underneath to catch any oozing caramel or escaping fruit juice.
- Once your cake is baked, leave it in the tin until it’s cool to touch, then turn out upside down onto a plate or serving dish to reveal the sticky golden caramelised pears.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out Kindling Restaurant on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or their website.
Kindling is featured in the Michelin Guide and is a member of the Sustainable Restaurants Association.
Best-selling cake tins
Is your cake tin older than the sun? Check out our list of best-selling cake tins to upgrade to on Amazon.
No products found.
You may be interested in…
This article may include affiliate links to products and services where we may receive a small fee to support the running of this site if you make a purchase or is a sponsored article from one of our select editorial partners providing valuable advice and information to our readers.
