Brown butter pear cake, partially sliced

Pear cake

Name: Pear cake
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 175g unsalted butter softened, plus extra for the tin; 3-4 Williams pears peeled, cored and cut into chunks; 150g caster sugar; 2 eggs beaten; 150g self-raising flour; ½ tsp baking powder

Janine Ratcliffe

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Serves 8

Easy

Total time: 1 hr and 20 mins

+ cooling

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Bake this comforting, fruity upside-down pear cake for an autumn dessert – it has a deep nutty flavour that comes from cooking the butter until golden

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Try our pear cake recipe then check out our poached pears, pear crumble, pear tarte tatin and more pear recipes.

Recipe tip: To get the caramelised, nutty flavour, cook the butter until the milk solids turn golden, then cool and cream with the sugar as in a standard cake method.

Ingredients

Nutrition

175g unsalted butter

softened, plus extra for the tin
3-4 Williams pears

peeled, cored and cut into chunks
150g caster sugar
2 eggs

beaten
150g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder

Nutrition: per serving

kcal364
fat19.8g
saturates11.9g
carbs41g
sugars26.8g
fibre2.8g
protein4.2g
salt0.3g

Method

step 1

Melt 25g of the butter in a frying pan then cook until browned and nutty. Add the pears and 1 tbsp of the sugar, and cook for a few minutes, turning in the butter until caramelised and syrupy. Cool.
step 2

Melt the remaining butter in a pan and keep cooking until it turns golden and smells nutty. Pour into a bowl and chill, stirring now and again, until solid but still soft enough to beat.
step 3

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and base-line a 20cm round, deep springform cake tin. Scoop the pears from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any syrup. Arrange in a single layer on the base of the tin (any left-over pear can be eaten with the cake or with yogurt for breakfast).
step 4

Beat together the cooled brown butter and the remaining sugar until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then mix in the flour and baking powder. Fold in gently until combined, then spoon the mixture on top of the pears. Level the surface and bake for 30-35 mins or until springy to the touch.
step 5

Cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto a serving plate. Gently reheat the reserved juices and brush or spoon over the cake. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Try 3 more twists on a pear cake:

Salted caramel pear cake

This impressive but easy layer cake is filled with spiced poached pears and pecans, and topped with a silky smooth salted maple caramel. It’s a bit like an autumnal victoria sponge, and keeps for two days in the fridge

Pear and ginger upside-down cake

This zingy pear and ginger upside-down cake is moist, light and delicately sweet. Impress your friends and family this weekend with our easy-to-make cake

Chocolate pear cakes

Luscious, smooth and downright indulgent this recipe will put a smile on your face. These little cakes have a secret melted chocolate centre inside each pear.

Also check out more seasonal pear recipes

Pear Pie Recipe

Authors

Janine Ratcliffe in a short sleeved long dress sitting on a chair beneath palm trees on a balcony

Janine RatcliffeFood director

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