Pear Upside-Down Chocolate Cake

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Rated 3 stars out of 5
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  • Read 9 Reviews
Total Time:
2 hr 40 min
Prep
45 min
Inactive
1 hr 0 min
Cook
55 min
Yield:
1 (9-inch) cake (6 to 8 servings)
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

Pears:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 Bosc pears, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored

Cake:

  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup finely ground toasted almonds
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-process), plus additional for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

For the pears: Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the paper. Put the butter, brown sugar, and lemon zest and juice in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until melted. Add the pears, cover, and simmer, turning once, until the pears are soft and juicy, about 4 minutes. Pour the pears and their syrup into a strainer set over a saucepan. Set the syrup and 1 pear quarter aside. Arrange remaining pears in the prepared pan, stem ends toward center, rounded sides down, and 1/4-inch from the side. Chop reserved pear and use just enough to fill center.

For the cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Scald milk in a small saucepan; keep warm. Whisk flour with almonds, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add granulated sugar; continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl. Add cocoa powder and vanilla and beat 1 minute. While mixing at medium-low speed, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

While mixing slowly, add the flour mixture in 4 additions; turn off the mixer and fold in the hot milk with a rubber spatula. Spread the batter over the pears, taking care not to disturb them. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to settle the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate. Cool briefly, carefully peel the parchment paper from the top, and then cool completely.

To finish the cake: Boil the reserved pear syrup until slightly thick and lightly brush the top of the cake with syrup. Whisk a few tablespoons of cocoa powder with an equal amount of confectioners' sugar, and sift over the cake; serve.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 9 reviews

  • on February 28, 2010

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    I didn't read the comments until after I had obtained the ingredients for this cake. I was worried by what I read so I made some modifications. The first was that I doubled the butter to 8 tbsps ( a whole stick. I omitted the spices-cinammon and clove which I thought would taste a little strange with the chocolate. I added that to the pears instead. I also added 1 tsp of almond extract to the pears and 2 tsp of brandy as well. That added to the syrup quantity that is necessary to brush on the cake after it is finished. Finally, I decreased the baking time to 35 to 40 min. When I tested with the toothpick, it was ever so slightly coated with crumbs. These changes yielded a moist cake, and was very succesful at my friends' dinner party. My family is asking for me to make the cake again because the hostess kept the leftovers!

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  • on March 01, 2009

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    I agree with the reviewer that this might work just as well with the pears, which were delish, and a boxed cake mix. It could be a quick dessert that way. We served with ice cream and it was very good. I made it in a 10" and so there may have been less of a cake to pear ratio because I didn't think the cake was dry. I also used more milk in the end. I didn't get enough glaze either so I would definately think about that for the future if I make it again.

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  • on January 02, 2009

    Flag

    The concept sounds good but the end result was a dry low quality cake. If I were to try this recipe again I would use a different chocolate cake recipe or even a stor bought cake in a box and add pear juice and pear brandy as the wet mixture. This wasn't the hit at my holiday party either.

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