Upside Down Pear Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 8-10 people
- 60g/2ozs golden syrup
- 500g/1.1lbs pears (firm)
- 100g/3.5ozs browned butter*
- 100g/3.5ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 100g/3.5ozs almond meal
- 40g/1.4ozs plain all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 60ml/2flozs buttermilk
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced. Line the base and sides of a 19cm/7.5inch spring form tin and pour the golden syrup across the base. Peel the pears and halve them. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller and trim the top and bottom and halve the pears again to make quarters. Lay them on top of the golden syrup and then cover to prevent the pears browning.
Step 2 -In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the melted, browned butter and sugar together on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and then add the vanilla bean paste and zest.
Step 3 -In a jug or bowl whisk the almond meal, flour and baking powder together. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture on low speed alternating with the buttermilk. Do not overmix, stop when the wet and dry are just combined. Spoon this cake batter on top of the pears spreading out to all sides with an angled spatula. Place on top of another tray (in case the syrup leaks out of the springform tin).
Step 4 -Bake for 60 minutes then cover with foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the centre springs back when touched (make sure that the center is no longer wobbly!). Serve with ice cream.
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.