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    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Pear & Vanilla Upside Down Cake

    Published: Mar 30, 2011 · by Nicole · Updated: Aug 22, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This pear and vanilla upside down cake is a wonderful way to enjoy the deliciousness of pears and the intoxicating aroma of fresh vanilla. What could be better than that?

    Pear Vanilla Upside Down Cake sitting on white scalloped cake stand with tea & pink background
    Jump to:
    • How to Make Pear & Vanilla Upside-Down Cake
    • About Pear & Vanilla Upside-Down Cake
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    We have an abundance of pears at the moment, and I wanted to put them to good use.  This pear and vanilla upside down cake was a wonderful way showcase how delicious pears can be. So delicious in fact that even my non pear loving boyfriend loved the cake and asked for more. I think I may have converted him! Which is a good thing as we still have quite a few pears left, which I already have plans for.

    If you also love pears—or just have a lot of them—you might also want to try these Bay, Thyme, & Honey Roasted Pears or this tasty recipe for cobbler-like Maple Baked Pears. If you're looking for a more savory pear recipe, try this scrumptious Mushroom, Pear, & Cavolo Nero Toast recipe.

    If you love vegan baking, make sure you grab a copy of my free vegan baking cheat sheet while you're here. It's packed with all my favorite plant-based substitutions to help you vegan-ize any recipe!

    close up of Pear Vanilla Upside Down Cake

    How to Make Pear & Vanilla Upside-Down Cake

    1. Preheat the oven.
    2. Heat a large ovenproof non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the water and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
    3. Add the vanilla bean, pears, and lemon juice. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the pears are soft. Remove from the heat and set liquid topping aside while you make the cake base.
    4. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, thick, and about 3 times its original volume.
    5. Switch the mixer to its lowest speed and sift in the self raising flour. Fold through before adding the almond meal, oil, and lemon juice.
    6. Pour the cake mixture on top of the poached pears and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out cleanly.
    7. To serve, turn out onto a cake platter and serve as is or with some freshly whipped cream.
    close up side view of Pear Vanilla Upside Down Cake

    About Pear & Vanilla Upside-Down Cake

    Another wonderful benefit of this recipe, other than it's deliciousness, is that poaching the pears for the topping fills your house with an absolutely deliciously intoxicating aroma. Pears and fresh vanilla—what could be better than that?

    For this cake I'd recommend using pears that will hold their shape, such as Williams or Packham, during poaching and cooking. Just make sure the pears are ripe, but not overly so.

    So tell me, have you been able to convert someone to enjoying a fruit they didn't like through your baking?

    While you're here, be sure to grab our FREE 5-Day Meatless Meal Plan. It's packed with tasty recipes to make vegetarian cooking easy and delicious!

    Recipe

    Pear and Vanilla Upside Down Cake

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Keyword: Delicious Everyday
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 484kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    Topping

    • ¾ cup raw caster sugar
    • ½ cup water 125ml
    • juice of half a lemon
    • 1 vanilla bean split
    • 2 pears peeled, cored, and cut into eighths

    Cake

    • 4 eggs at room temperature
    • 1 cup raw caster sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • juice of half a lemon
    • ½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
    • 1 cup self raising flour
    • 1 cup almond meal

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
    • Heat a large ovenproof non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the water and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
    • Add the vanilla bean, pears, and lemon juice. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the pears are soft. Remove from the heat and set liquid topping aside while you make the cake base.
    • In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, thick, and about 3 times its original volume.
    • Switch the mixer to its lowest speed and sift in the self raising flour. Fold through before adding the almond meal, oil, and lemon juice.
    • Pour the cake mixture on top of the poached pears and bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out cleanly.
    • To serve, turn out onto a cake platter and serve as is or with some freshly whipped cream.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 484kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 8gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 99mgFiber: 3gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 130IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « Vegetarian Irish Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh
    French Martini with Vanilla »

    Delicious Everyday, Dessert Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes DE

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. muppy says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      This looks really delicious, I have some pears that I want to bake with so maybe I should try this.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        I may be biased, but I think it's delicious Muppy. 🙂 I think it's best served slightly warm, to make the most of the flavours.

        Reply
    2. Kayla says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! This is gorgeous. I love how the vanilla bean sticks out. It adds a rustic touch to the cake. Oh yes, fresh vanilla smells awesome! Hmm... now I craving for some pear dessert... My recent post Broiled Cinnamon-Maple Grapefruit

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks for your kind words Kayla 😀 I love the rustic touch that the vanilla bean adds too. It's not a fussy cake, just plain delicious.

        Reply
    3. Trudy~Veggienumnum says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Oh Yum!! I love how golden and moist this cake looks!! We made an upside down pear cake this weekend too, must be all the fresh ripe pears available this time of year 🙂 My recent post Soy &amp Szechuan Pepper Tofu w- Wasabi Pea Puree

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thank you Trudy 😀 It's definitely pear season and I can't wait to make some more pear dishes. Are you going to post your upside down pear cake? Great minds must think alike 😉

        Reply
    4. sandraleegarth says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Beautiful cake and not much luck in the convincing department. Maybe this could be the recipe that changes things!

      Reply
    5. Heidi says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Delicious! I love a good upside down cake. I get my man to eat quinces in cakes like these. If I poach them he doesn't love them but in a cake it's alllll good! Heidi xo My recent post My Foray into Footscray

      Reply
    6. Stephanie says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      This looks gorgeous! I'm jealous of your pear overload and excited to see what else you'll do with them. My recent post Slow Cooker Monday- Maple Apple Compote

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks Stephanie. I'll show more pear recipes next week 😀

        Reply
    7. Dzenana says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Yum! Now I want to make one of these with the rest of the pears I've got lying around! It looks so moist and delicious! As for making somebody like a fruit they don't usually like...well, its never happened with fruit, but my best friend is renowned for changing her mind about food she hates after I make them! Everything from couscous to peanut butter with chocolate (how could she have ever thought she didn't like that flavour combinationt!?!) My recent post Red Wine Poached Baby Pears with Honey Orange Mascarpone

      Reply
    8. foodies at home says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Oh thats a good question! Probably figs. My husband was never a fig person until I made simple roasted figs for a salad. This cake looks so moist! I think pears and vanilla is a great combination! My recent post Grandmas Classic Pot Roast

      Reply
    9. CC11 says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Pear and vanilla are a perfect combo - your cake looks so moist and yummy

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thanks Chanel 😀

        Reply
    10. Ruby says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Gorgeous! I've got a few under-ripe pears in the fruit bowl that might do well in this. And I'm thinking a rich, dark-chocolate sauce would not be unwelcome either... 😉 My recent post Blooming Champagne Cupcakes

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Hi Ruby 😀 A chocolate sauce would be lovely with is, although it really is nice as is. 🙂

        Reply
    11. mollyparr says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I was at a dinner party a few months ago, and they served a similar cake, but with apples. I love this combination of pear and vanilla. Can't wait to try it out once we have some good pears.

      Reply
    12. Susi says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      What a gorgeous cake and wonderful combination. I love this twist on an old classic. Looks incredibly elegant! My recent post Asian Inspired Cucumber Salad

      Reply
    13. Soma says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I adore cakes with fruits - much better than any other cakes. I have done apple and pineapple upside downs, never pear. Looks so beautiful I shld make one soon,

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Thank you Soma 😀

        Reply

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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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