Pear-Walnut Upside-Down Cake
By Annie PetitoPublished on November 23, 2015
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Featured Comment
"I can't get enough of this! I love the toasted walnuts in the cake. I haven't been so taken by a cake in a long time." —David H.
Ingredients
Topping
57 grams (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted99 grams (½ cup packed) dark brown sugar2 teaspoons cornstarch⅛ teaspoon table salt3 ripe but firm Bosc pears (227 grams/8 ounces each)Cake
105 grams (1 cup) walnuts, toasted71 grams (½ cup) all-purpose flour½ teaspoon table salt¼ teaspoon baking powder⅛ teaspoon baking soda3 large eggs198 grams (1 cup) sugar57 grams (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted53 grams (¼ cup) vegetable oilBefore You Begin
We strongly recommend baking this cake in a light-colored cake pan with sides that are at least 2 inches tall. If using a dark-colored pan, start checking for doneness at 1 hour, and note that the cake may dome in the center and the topping may become too sticky. Serve with crème fraîche, or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 9-inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Pour 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter over bottom of pan and swirl to evenly coat. Combine 99 grams dark brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, and ⅛ teaspoon table salt in small bowl and sprinkle evenly over melted butter.
- Peel, halve, and core 3 ripe but firm Bosc pears. Set aside 1 pear half and reserve for other use. Cut remaining 5 pear halves into 4 wedges each. Arrange pears in circular pattern around cake pan with tapered ends pointing inward. Arrange two smallest pear wedges in center.
- Pulse 1 cup toasted walnuts, 71 grams all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon baking soda in food processor until walnuts are finely ground, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer walnut mixture to bowl.
- Process 3 large eggs and 198 grams granulated sugar in now-empty processor until very pale yellow, about 2 minutes. With processor running, add 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, and ¼ cup vegetable oil in steady stream until incorporated. Add walnut mixture and pulse to combine, 4 to 5 pulses. Pour batter evenly over pears (some pear may show through; cake will bake up over fruit).
- Bake until center of cake is set and bounces back when gently pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, rotating pan after 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully run paring knife or offset spatula around sides of pan. Invert cake onto wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet; discard parchment. Let cake cool for about 2 hours. Transfer to serving platter, cut into wedges, and serve.
for the topping
for the cake
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 8 to 10Featured Comment
"I can't get enough of this! I love the toasted walnuts in the cake. I haven't been so taken by a cake in a long time." —David H.Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Bosc pears, with their dense flesh, hold their shape after baking; cutting them into wedges allows the pears to be baked from raw but remain manageable enough to eat with the cake. Instead of a sweet, somewhat-dense yellow cake, we made a walnut-based cake, which is light but sturdy, earthy-tasting and less sweet. Lining the cake pan (a light-colored pan helps the cake cook more evenly) with parchment and removing the cake from the pan after 15 minutes—good practice for any upside-down cake—allows the top to set while preventing the bottom of the cake from steaming and turning soggy.
139 Comments