Pear Vanilla Upside Down Cakes
Little seckle pears are baked in a pool of buttery brown sugar caramel, under a blanket of fluffy soft, vanilla-infused cake. A sweet and seasonal fall dessert, in individual portions.
Servings: 4
Calories: 487kcal
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or maybe a little more, if you like salty caramel)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 seckle pears, peeled, halved, and cored
For the Cake:
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cold
- 1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
- 1 egg (large)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
Instructions
Make the Topping:
- Grease 4 ramekins.
- Place the brown sugar, butter, and salt in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Stir together until the brown sugar has melted and the mixture is well combined.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 4 ramekins, and place a pear half into the center of each.
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the cold butter, and mix on low speed, until the mixture resembles moist crumbs.
- Add the egg, and beat until well combined.
- Add the milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste, and beat for about a minute.
- Divide the batter equally between the 4 ramekins.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool slightly on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around the edge of each ramekin to loosed the cake.
- Invert onto a serving plate.
Notes
The tops of the cakes may need to be trimmed off, to flatten them, if they have risen to a high dome during baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 732IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 1mg