Caramelized Pear Upside Down Cake Recipes

CARAMELIZED PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×2-inch round cake pan (don't use a springform pan, as the caramel might leak out during baking). Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment and butter the top of the paper.
• Peel, core, and cut the pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the pear slices on the bottom of the pan in a circle around the edge, overlapping them slightly, with the pointed ends towards the center. If necessary, cut a little off the pointed ends to make the slices fit better. Or if the pear slices don't reach all the way to the middle, arrange a few of the shorter slices in the center to cover the bottom of the pan. Make the Basic Caramel according to the directions. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the 4 Tbs. of butter one piece at a time, until they are completely melted. Carefully pour the hot caramel evenly over the pears (it should spread over the pears and onto the bottom of the pan).
• Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir to combine. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.Turn the mixer to medium and slowly add the brown sugar. Increase the speed to high and continue to mix until lightened in texture and color, 2 to 3 minutes total. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and alternate adding the flour mixture and milk mixture in five additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix each addition just enough to incorporate, as overmixing will lead to a tougher cake. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time and mix briefly to blend well.
• Spoon the batter in large dollops over the pears and smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula. Bake the cake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Turn a cake plate upside down on top of the cake pan and, using pot holders, carefully invert the cake pan onto the plate.

CARAMEL PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• Arrange pear slices in rows in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the caramels with a 1/2 cup water; stir in butter until smooth. Pour over pears. , In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and remaining water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour over the caramel layer., Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Serve with whipped cream.

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Cut out a circle of baking paper that is roughly 2cm/¾in larger than the base of a 20cm/8in springform or loose-based round cake tin. Grease the sides of the tin and place the paper circle in the base, pressing up the sides slightly. This will help hold the caramel.
• For the pears, make a caramel by melting the sugar in small, deep saucepan over a low heat until golden brown, stirring only once most of the sugar has melted. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.) Add the butter and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon very gently until melted. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rum and ginger syrup until the sauce is smooth. Leave the caramel to stand for 15-20 minutes, or until it cools enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally. Place a baking tray on the bottom of the oven to catch any caramel that leaks out of the cake tin and preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• While the caramel is cooling, peel the pears, cut into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each pear quarter into 3-4 long slices. Place the pear slices in the caramel and turn to coat. Arrange the pear slices in a fan shape in the bottom of the prepared cake tin.
• For the cake mixture, add all of the ingredients to a food processor and mix until smooth. Alternatively, place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until a smooth mixture is formed. Gently spoon the mixture over the pears and smooth the surface. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is well risen, firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
• Using oven gloves to protect your hands, carefully loosen and remove the sides of the cake tin. Place a serving plate over the cake and carefully turn over. Remove the tin base and baking paper. This needs to be done while the cake is warm otherwise the caramel will harden and the cake will be more difficult to remove.
• Slice and serve the cake warm with ice cream as a dessert or by itself as a teatime treat.

CARAMELIZED PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in heavy 10-inch-diameter ovenproof skillet over low heat. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange quartered pears in flower design atop sugar, cutting some pieces to fit center if necessary.
• Whisk flour, 2/3 cup sugar, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground ginger and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk eggs, oil, vanilla and orange peel in large bowl to blend. Mix in grated pears. Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture.
• Carefully pour batter over pears in skillet. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in skillet on rack 20 minutes. Run knife around skillet sides to loosen. Place plate on skillet over cake. Invert cake onto plate. Serve warm.