Pear Upside-Down Cake. A simple vanilla-yogurt cake baked over sliced pears and a buttery brown-sugar layer, then inverted while warm. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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Pears on top after the flip
Sliced firm-ripe pears sit under a vanilla-yogurt cake while it bakes. When the pan is inverted, the fruit and buttery brown sugar form the visible top. The format is an upside-down cake, not a pear tart or a Bundt with fruit folded through the crumb.
The proposed nine-inch version has not been baked. Pear ripeness, juice release and batter depth can shift timing and the look of the flipped cake, so the eight-slice yield and ninety-minute total are provisional.
Choose pears that hold slices
Firm-ripe fruit is easier to core and arrange in thin overlapping wedges than very soft fruit. Three medium pears are a working amount for a single layer; large pears may leave extra slices. Keep a record instead of piling the excess under the batter.
Light brown sugar and melted butter are a separate topping mixture. Softened butter, granulated sugar and plain yogurt belong in the cake. Confusing those sets would alter both caramelization and crumb.
Ingredients for 8 slices
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, melted, for topping | 3 tablespoons | Pan topping. |
| Packed light brown sugar, for topping | 1/3 cup | Pan topping. |
| Firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced | 3 medium pears | Thin wedges in one layer. |
| Unsalted butter, softened, for cake | 1/2 cup | Cake batter. |
| Granulated sugar | 3/4 cup | Cake batter. |
| Large eggs | 2 eggs | Cake batter. |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | Cake batter. |
| Plain full-fat yogurt | 1/2 cup | Cake batter. |
| All-purpose flour | 1 1/2 cups | Spoon and level. |
| Baking powder | 1 1/2 teaspoons | Cake batter. |
| Fine salt | 1/4 teaspoon | Cake batter. |
Step-by-step method
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment and grease its sides. Stir 3 tbsp melted butter with 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar and spread across the pan bottom. Arrange thin slices from three firm-ripe peeled pears in a mostly even overlapping layer.
- Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat in two eggs one at a time and 1 tsp vanilla, then stir in 1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt separately; fold in only until no dry streaks remain.
- Spoon the batter gently over the pear layer and level without displacing fruit. Bake approximately 45–50 minutes until a skewer into the center crumb comes out without wet batter. Set the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes.
- Run a thin knife along the sides. Place a rimmed serving plate over the pan and invert carefully while still warm. Remove pan and parchment; replace any pear slice that stuck. Cut eight slices after the topping settles, and document actual fruit fit and inversion in a kitchen trial.
Build the cake over the fruit
Line the pan bottom, coat the sides and spread topping before arranging the pears. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs gradually, then fold in dry flour and leavener only until combined. Spoon rather than dump batter in one spot so the pear pattern stays put.
Epicurious illustrates a pear cake with a caramel layer and an inverted presentation. This Chefly proposal uses a simpler brown-sugar-butter topping and yogurt batter, not the source's whipped-egg-white or cornmeal method.
Time the inversion
Check the center crumb, avoiding a pear slice when testing. Rest about fifteen minutes in the pan before turning onto a rimmed plate. A very hot cake can tear, while a completely cold topping can stick; the precise window needs a trial.
If slices remain on the parchment, lift them gently back onto the cake. If the center is wet, bake longer before inversion rather than hoping residual heat finishes raw batter.
Serve and keep
Cut eight slices after the fruit top settles. A simple plate lets the overlapping pears show. A scoop of ice cream would be an optional serving choice not included in the measured card or image.
Record moisture and texture after cooling before claiming an exact room-temperature or refrigerator shelf life. This cake should remain separate from the planned apple-cider donut Bundt, which uses a cinnamon-sugar finish and no pear layer.
Pear cake questions
What pan depth do I need?
A 9-inch round pan with sides at least two inches high is the working size; verify batter clearance.
Should the pears go in the batter?
No. Arrange them over the butter-sugar layer before spooning the batter on top.
Why flip it warm?
The proposed fifteen-minute rest permits handling before the topping adheres firmly to the pan.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Epicurious' pear upside-down cake. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Pear Upside-Down Cake. Category: Cakes. 8 slices. Prep approximately 25 minutes; cooking approximately 50 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 15 minutes; total approximately 90 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted, for topping; 1/3 cup Packed light brown sugar, for topping; 3 medium pears Firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced; 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened, for cake; 3/4 cup Granulated sugar; 2 eggs Large eggs; 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract; 1/2 cup Plain full-fat yogurt; 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon Fine salt.
Instructions: Heat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment and grease its sides. Stir 3 tbsp melted butter with 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar and spread across the pan bottom. Arrange thin slices from three firm-ripe peeled pears in a mostly even overlapping layer. Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat in two eggs one at a time and 1 tsp vanilla, then stir in 1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt separately; fold in only until no dry streaks remain. Spoon the batter gently over the pear layer and level without displacing fruit. Bake approximately 45–50 minutes until a skewer into the center crumb comes out without wet batter. Set the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Run a thin knife along the sides. Place a rimmed serving plate over the pan and invert carefully while still warm. Remove pan and parchment; replace any pear slice that stuck. Cut eight slices after the topping settles, and document actual fruit fit and inversion in a kitchen trial.
Allergens: Wheat; Milk; Egg. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
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Pear Upside-Down Cake
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A 9-inch pear-topped vanilla-yogurt cake cut into eight slices.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted butter, melted, for topping
- 1/3 cup Packed light brown sugar, for topping
- 3 medium pears Firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened, for cake
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 eggs Large eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Plain full-fat yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment and grease its sides. Stir 3 tbsp melted butter with 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar and spread across the pan bottom. Arrange thin slices from three firm-ripe peeled pears in a mostly even overlapping layer.
- Cream 1/2 cup softened butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat in two eggs one at a time and 1 tsp vanilla, then stir in 1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt separately; fold in only until no dry streaks remain.
- Spoon the batter gently over the pear layer and level without displacing fruit. Bake approximately 45–50 minutes until a skewer into the center crumb comes out without wet batter. Set the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes.
- Run a thin knife along the sides. Place a rimmed serving plate over the pan and invert carefully while still warm. Remove pan and parchment; replace any pear slice that stuck. Cut eight slices after the topping settles, and document actual fruit fit and inversion in a kitchen trial.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 15 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: 45–50-minute bake and 15-minute rest before inversion; preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Cakes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One eighth of the cake