Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake

This post has been updated for recipe, content and photos since it’s original publication in 2014.

Looking for delectable fall desserts? This Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake is a gorgeous seasonal dessert that’s perfect for Thanksgiving and the holidays. This pear cake recipe is dotted with tart fresh cranberries and crowned with caramelized pears, so there’s no need for frosting… but a scoop of vanilla or dollop of whipped cream would be awesome.

 

My husband loves this beautiful caramelized pear upside down cake with fresh cranberries… He loves how moist it is, that it’s not too sweet and he really likes the jammy pockets of tart cranberries nestled in the tender pear cake crumb. He also loves that it’s not pumpkin… a refreshing twist from the bevy of pumpkin spice desserts assaulting us from September through Thanksgiving (he’s not a fan). Consequently, when I offer up a fall dessert, this one always makes the cut.

 

Tips For Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake

Before we get started, let’s go over a few housekeeping notes. It’s important not to jump around in this recipe... particularly at the beginning. I know many people don’t actually prepare their cake pans until the cake is ready, however,  you have to start at the beginning for this caramelized pear cake recipe.

Preparing Pears and Cake Pan

1. Line the cake pan with parchment paper and spray the pan with vegetable spray.
2. Peel and slice the pears and arrange them in the bottom of the pan, so they make a pretty pattern and overlap. 
3. You have to do this step first, because the hot caramel gets poured over the pears. Consequently, if you had waited to prepare and arrange the pears, the caramel would harden before you could pour it over the fruit.

 

If you’ve never made caramel, you’ll be surprised how truly simple it is and how few ingredients you need. Essentially, caramel is melted sugar that’s been cooked to an amber color. You really only need one ingredient for that — sugar. If you were making a caramel sauce you’d add heavy cream. For these caramelized pears, you’ll add butter.

Caramelized Pear Ingredients:

• Pears
• Sugar
• Butter

Making Caramel:

1. Place the sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and heat the burner to medium high.
2. Don’t touch the sugar.  Let it heat and melt. Only when it starts to dissolve on the bottom of the pan, do you stir it.
3. When stirring, all you’re trying to do is move the sugar on top to come into contact with the pan so it can start to dissolve. 
4. The molten (yes, it’s very hot — like lava) sugar will start to take on a golden color, followed by a light amber and finally a medium amber… it will go further if you let it (and can burn), but medium is what we’re shooting for here.

Finishing Caramel and Caramelizing Pears

• Once you’ve reached the medium amber stage on the sugar, whisk in a tablespoon of butter.
• Once the butter is melted and fully incorporated, add another pat of butter.
• Continue in this pattern until all of the butter is blended into the caramel. 
• Pour the hot caramel over the pears and set aside.

 

Ingredients For Cranberry Pear Cake Batter

• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Ginger
• Salt
• Milk
• Vanilla Bean Paste (or extract)
• Unsalted Butter
• Light Brown Sugar
• Eggs
• Cranberries (Fresh or Frozen) 

Tips On Assembling Cranberry Cake Batter:

• The key to at light, tender crumb is to whip the butter well BEFORE adding the sugar… Then beating in the brown sugar and whipping until VERY LIGHT AND FLUFFY (about 3 minutes).  
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat very well after each addition. Paying attention to these steps will add structure to the cake as well as give you a light, tender crumb.
• Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients — beating JUST UNTIL BLENDED.
• Avoid over mixing once you add the flour otherwise you risk developing the gluten and getting a dense or chewy cake.
• Gently, fold the cranberries into the batter.

 

Assembling Cranberry Pear Cake Recipe

• Drop spoonfuls of the batter over the caramelized pears.
• Smooth the batter with the back of an offset spatula.
• Bake until a cake tester comes out clean.

 

You’ll want to let the cake rest for 10 minutes before running a sharp knife around the perimeter of the cranberry pear cake and inverting onto a platter or cake stand. 

 

Amazing Cranberry Pear Cake

So, what do you think? Isn’t she a beauty?

You can taste every aspect of this amazing confection… from the deep caramel to the juicy, tender pears, the pops of tangy cranberry and the perfectly spiced crumb. The pear cake is uber moist with swirls of the amber caramel blending with the batter and straddling the line between pudding and cake. Caramelized pear upside down cake isn’t a sugar bomb, either because the deep, toasty notes keep it subtle and sophisticated. 

 

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Serve Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a company-worthy, holiday-appropriate, fall dessert that’ll make you swoon.

You May Like These Fall Dessert Recipes: 

• Sweet Tart Apple Cranberry Pie
• Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
• Fresh Cranberry Pear Crisp
• One Bowl Applesauce Walnut Snack Cake

 

 

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