• Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
      • Breakfast Breads
    • Beverages
      • Boozy Drinks
      • Non-Alcoholic
    • Condiments
      • Dressings Chutneys & Jams
      • Marinades & Rubs
      • Sauces & Pestos
    • Desserts
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies/Bars
      • Crumbles/Crisps
      • Ice Cream/Frozen Treats
      • Pies/Tarts
      • Puddings/Custards
    • Entrees
      • Meat
        • Beef
        • Chicken/Poultry
        • Lamb
        • Pork
        • Seafood
          • Crab
          • Fish
          • Other
          • shrimp
        • Pasta
        • Grains
        • Sandwiches, Tacos & Pizzas
        • Soups, Stews & Braises
    • Salads
    • Sides
      • Breads
    • Vegan/Vegetarian
  • About
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Press
    • Disclaimers
    • Privacy Policy
  • Kitchen Resources

Garlic & Zest

Gourmet Cooking at Home!

Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake

Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake
1.1Kshares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Mix
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
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.

 

fresh pears for the pear cake recipe.

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.

 

peeling and slicing fruit for pear upside down cake.

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.

 

making caramel for the caramelized pears.

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.

adding butter to the caramel sauce and pouring over the pears.

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.

 

Steps for assembling the cranberry pear cake batter.

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.

 

adding cranberries to pear cake batter and pouring over caramelized pears.

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.

 

baking and turning out the pear upside down cake.

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. 

 

Cranberry Pear Upside Down cake on a platter.

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. 

 

overhead shot of dessert on a plate with fork srcset=” width=”600″ height=”902″>

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

 

dessert slice with whipped cream


 

Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
 
Print Pin
4.91 from 11 votes

Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake

A sensational fruit filled cake!  
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cranberries, pear
Dietary Restrictions Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 379kcal
Author Adapted From Fine Cooking

Ingredients

FOR CARAMELIZED PEARS

  • 2 large Firm, ripe pears (Bosc, D'Anjou or Bartlett work well)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)

FOR CRANBERRY CAKE

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 tablespoons/1 stick) at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

PREPARE THE PAN AND PEARS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x2" round cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Spray with vegetable spray and set aside.
  • Peel the pears, slice in half and remove the seeds (I use a melon baller for this). Slice the pears into 1/4" slices and arrange over the parchment paper, slightly overlapping the pears.

MAKE THE CARAMEL

  • Add sugar to a small saucepan and place over medium high heat. Don't disturb the sugar, let it start to melt. When the sugar starts to dissolve, carefully stir it to mix the sugar crystals with the melted sugar, but try not to splash the sugar onto the sides of the pan. (If a lot of sugar crystals stick to the sides of the pan, you can brush them down with a little water, but it's easier if you just don't get the sugar on the pan).
  • Continue to cook the sugar and let it caramelize to just beyond a golden color, like a medium amber, but remove it from the heat before it gets too dark or smells like it's burning. Add a tablespoon of butter at a time and stir into the caramel until melted and incorporated before adding the next tablespoon.
  • Immediately pour the caramel sauce over the pears. It will fill in and around the gaps. Set aside.

MAKE THE CRANBERRY CAKE

  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  • Place the butter in a large bowl and use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat until soft and creamy, scraping sides of bowl as you go.
  • Add the brown sugar to the butter and beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well blended before adding the next egg.
  • Combine the milk and vanilla bean paste (or vanilla) and whisk together.
  • Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture to the creamed butter, beating just until the ingredients are combined before adding the next. Do this in 5 additions starting with the flour. The batter will be thick.
  • Fold in the cranberries.
  • Spoon the batter over the pears and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before running a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it. Place a cake platter over the top of the cake and quickly invert it onto the platter. Lift the pan and pull away the parchment paper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Yes - ice cream or whipped cream would take this over the top!

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 506IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg

Pin “Cranberry Pear Upside Down Cake” For Later!

 

1.1Kshares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Yummly
  • Email
  • Tumblr
  • Mix

Cakes// Desserts// Vegan/Vegetarian11 Comments

« Sausage Fennel and Apple Stuffing
Maple Walnut Breakfast Muffins »

Comments

  1. Meg says

    October 24, 2019 at 6:23 PM

    I don’t see a quantity for the cranberries– what are other people using?

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 25, 2019 at 7:44 AM

      Hi Meg! It’s one cup of cranberries.

      Reply
  2. kim says

    October 18, 2019 at 10:06 AM

    What a tasty recipe! My whole family love this one and I’ll definitely be making again!

    Reply
  3. Danielle says

    October 18, 2019 at 9:52 AM

    This cake is worth a million seconds to make it! 🙂 The looks are incredible, and I can’t even imagine what’s going on with the taste! 🙂 I guess there is only one way to fix it – make this cake myself! I am saving this recipe for the holidays as it fits my plans perfectly!

    Reply
  4. Raia Todd says

    October 18, 2019 at 9:35 AM

    What a delicious flavor combination! My husband is going to love this dessert. Pears are his favorite!

    Reply
  5. Mindy Fewless says

    October 18, 2019 at 9:33 AM

    This has all my favorite flavors in it!! Such a great recipe…thank you!

    Reply
  6. Angela says

    October 18, 2019 at 9:03 AM

    What a gorgeous cake and beautiful presentation! The flavors are just amazing for the holidays. This is hands-down perfection!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  7. Chris @ Shared Appetite says

    October 30, 2014 at 3:04 PM

    What a beautiful cake! Love pear and cranberry… such perfect fall flavors!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 30, 2014 at 7:34 PM

      thanks, Chris! My guy doesn’t like pumpkin in pies etc. – so I’m limited to other fall fruit.

      Reply
  8. amallia says

    October 30, 2014 at 6:32 AM

    This must be delicious Lisa…nice combo pear+cranberry. I wish you can share me one slice please 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 30, 2014 at 9:32 AM

      I would happily share, if there were any left!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Meet Lisa

Lisa

Calling all cooks! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to get a delicious, healthy meal on the table! At Garlic & Zest, I’ll show you how to make hundreds of seasonal, fresh recipes and indulgent comfort foods with easy step-by-step instructions and photos to help you master the dish.

Let’s get cooking!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • How To Make An Italian Omelette
  • Legendary Rum Raisin Ice Cream – Naturally Egg Free
  • Amazing Vegan Mushroom Soup with Barley & Kale
  • Easy DIY Apple Cider Brined Smoked Pork Loin
  • Quick & Easy Spiced Apple Cider Tea
Amazon Affiliate:
Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Featured On

Amazon Affiliate: Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Work with me    Disclaimer

Copyright © 2021 GarlicAndZest - Designed by TailoredDesignsCo

Copyright © 2021 · Savory Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

1.1Kshares