Pear Upside Down Cake

This pear upside down cake with fresh pears came about after we enjoyed this Upside Down Cherry Pie. You can make it homemade, with pie filling, canned pears or with cake mix batter on top too.

You could make this with just about any fresh fruit. Layered with a bit of sugar and batter over the top it bakes together into a quick dessert you’ll love. A bit like a cobbler you can make this in 30 minutes flat and serve with vanilla ice cream on top. (affiliate links present)

Pear Cake with Fresh Pears

During the summertime it is always great to use fresh produce. With that said you could defrost from frozen or drain cans during the winter so it can be made year round. Made in a 9×13 inch pan you will want enough fruit to cover the bottom so you get some in every single bite.

Once you have made this you can mix and match from then on. Using half peaches and half pears would be yummy or make a Banana Upside Down Cake with slices of those instead. The possibilities are endless my friends. You can see what ingredients we used below;

Upside Down Pear Cake with Canned Pears

We have used canned fruit to make our Dump Cake with Canned Fruit with cake mix for a quick throw together treat. This is homemade made from scratch so you know exactly what is inside each bite. Doesn’t really take that much longer other than prepping the fruit if you use fresh. You are going to need:

Ingredients

• 6 pears peeled and sliced was used but you could use:
  • drained cans or defrosted from frozen and drained
  • use enough to cover the bottom of 9×13 pan
• A bit of lemon juice
• Cornstarch will help make the juices thicker on the bottom
• Brown sugar will make the fruit sweeter
• Cinnamon is optional, or could use half nutmeg during the Fall
• All purpose flour and Baking powder will make the top batter “crust”
• A pinch of salt
• Milk and butter (melted) will moisten the batter
• Sugar will sweeten the top crust

If you wanted a sweeter and lighter top layer you could make this in a pie pan with our Pour Over Top Pie Crust. This will make a thicker layer of fruit to crust ratio, closer to half and half. Both are wonderful and once again made from scratch so you can alter things as you wish. Sugar alternatives are great for diabetics, or use vegan plant based butter for dairy free.

Can you bake a cake with frozen pears?

Yes you can. A great option to have on hand all year long to use. You will want to defrost them before beginning. Once softened, put into a colander to drain the juices, some remaining on the outside of the pieces is just fine. Then toss with the cinnamon, brown sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice to cover the bottom of your pan and go from there!

How to Make a Fresh Pear Cake

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the pear slices in a medium bowl, add cinnamon and brown sugar.
• Stir.
• Place the layers of pears on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
• Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, add lemon juice and pour all together into a baking dish.
• Mix all dry ingredients for the dough. Melt the butter and pour it into a bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth. (no stand mixer is needed)
• Spoon batter on top of fruit.
• Flatten and place in the oven.
• Bake for about 22 minutes until top is lightly golden browned and toothpick has moist crumbs attached but isn’t wet. (you do not want to over-bake, it should remain tender)
• Scoop out and serve warm with a scoop of ice cream. 

Tip: I wouldn’t bother with trying to flip this over. This one doesn’t work well removed from the pan rather it is easier to just scoop out with a large serving spoon and enjoy right out of the oven with ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sundae topping over each bowl full.

How do you peel pears for baking?

1. Have a bowl handy for the peels and an apple peeler is best to use.
2. Start at the stem end and peel down towards the bottom. Rotating as you go. Apply even pressure to remove just the skin.
3. Using a pairing knife you can do this as well by;
4. Starting at the stem end and carefully slicing off the skin in downward strokes, rotating as needed. Be careful not to remove too much flesh along with the skin.
5. Cut the pear in half lengthwise and use a paring knife or a melon baller to remove the core from the middle to discard that. If you need smaller pieces, slice the halves into quarters and then into thick slices to use to bake this.

Upside Down Pear Cake with Box Cake Mix

You can make the cake batter as directed on the back and pour that over a layer of fruit, or follow our Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Yellow Cake Mix with this fruit instead!! When flipped over you have a hidden gem that makes a really pretty semi-homemade style dessert to impress your guests. 😉

I suggest that you line the pan with parchment paper first though so it is easier to lift out, otherwise it will likely be a mess. Another option is to make a dessert for 2 this same way but with just 3 pears, inside a 9×5″ loaf pan with the batter from our recipe for 6 cupcakes with cake mix poured over the top of that!