Pear Upside–Down Cake (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 19, 2020
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Serves 10
Sugar
18 grams (down from 35)
Ingredients
Topping
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 tablespoons Sucanat 2 teaspoons cornstarch ⅛ teaspoon salt 3 ripe but firm Bosc pear (8 ounces each)Cake
¾ cup (4 ounces/113 grams) Sucanat 1 cup walnuts, toasted½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon baking powder ⅛ teaspoon baking soda 3 large eggs 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted3 tablespoons vegetable oilBefore You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. You can skip grinding the Sucanat in step 3; however, the cake will have a speckled appearance. If using a dark colored cake pan, start checking the cake for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier. This cake tastes best the same day it is made.
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 melted butter over bottom of pan and swirl to evenly coat. Combine Sucanat, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl and sprinkle evenly over melted butter.
- Peel, halve, and core pears; reserve 1 pear half for another use. Cut remaining 5 pear halves into 4 wedges each. Arrange pears in circular pattern in cake pan with tapered ends pointing inward. Arrange smallest 2 pear wedges in center.
- Working in 3 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Pulse walnuts, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in food processor until walnuts are finely ground, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl.
- Process ground Sucanat and eggs and in now-empty processor until mixture doubles in volume, about 2 minutes. With processor running, add melted butter and oil in steady stream until incorporated. Add walnut-flour mixture and pulse to combine, 4 to 5 pulses.
- Pour batter evenly over pears (some pear may show through). Bake until center of cake is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating pan after 40 minutes.
- Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake to loosen. Invert cake onto plate, remove parchment, then transfer onto wire rack. Let cake cool completely, about 2 hours, before serving.
for the topping
for the cake
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Serves 10Sugar
18 grams (down from 35)Ingredients
Topping
Cake
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
Cake
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
Cake
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted to put this oft-overlooked fruit in the spotlight. A simple Sucanat-based faux-caramel, layered into the bottom of the pan, created a thick, luscious glaze that kept the flavor of the pears prominent. Next we focused on the cake itself. For a rustic, hearty feel and robust flavor, we decided to cut the all-purpose flour with ground walnuts. We settled on a 2:1 ratio of ground walnuts to all-purpose flour for a pleasantly coarse crumb. However, with so little flour, we couldn't rely on its protein for structure. To fix this problem, we looked at the other source of protein in our recipe: eggs. Since we didn’t want our cake to be too fluffy or too dense, we needed to incorporate just the right amount of air into our eggs to achieve the right structure. Using a stand mixer to whip the batter resulted in a cake that was too light, while mixing the batter by hand made a cake that was too dense. Our solution: a food processor. The fast-moving, sharp blades incorporated just enough air into the batter to create a cake with a flat, even top and a nicely coarse crumb—a perfect vehicle for our caramel-coated pears.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. You can skip grinding the Sucanat in step 3; however, the cake will have a speckled appearance. If using a dark colored cake pan, start checking the cake for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier. This cake tastes best the same day it is made.
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 melted butter over bottom of pan and swirl to evenly coat. Combine Sucanat, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl and sprinkle evenly over melted butter.
- Peel, halve, and core pears; reserve 1 pear half for another use. Cut remaining 5 pear halves into 4 wedges each. Arrange pears in circular pattern in cake pan with tapered ends pointing inward. Arrange smallest 2 pear wedges in center.
- Working in 3 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Pulse walnuts, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in food processor until walnuts are finely ground, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl.
- Process ground Sucanat and eggs and in now-empty processor until mixture doubles in volume, about 2 minutes. With processor running, add melted butter and oil in steady stream until incorporated. Add walnut-flour mixture and pulse to combine, 4 to 5 pulses.
- Pour batter evenly over pears (some pear may show through). Bake until center of cake is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating pan after 40 minutes.
- Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake to loosen. Invert cake onto plate, remove parchment, then transfer onto wire rack. Let cake cool completely, about 2 hours, before serving.
for the topping
for the cake
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