Vegan Pear Upside Down Cake

User Reviews

5

279 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    10 mins

  • Cook Time

    35 mins

  • Total Time

    45 mins

  • Servings

    8

  • Calories

    234 kcal

  • Course

    Dessert

  • Cuisine

    American, Vegan

Vegan Pear Upside Down Cake

The Vegan Pear Upside Down Cake features thinly sliced pears caramelized with maple syrup or brown sugar layered beneath a moist, aromatic vegan batter enriched with pear purée and warming spices like cinnamon. Its texture balances a tender crumb with the soft fruit topping. This cake is suitable for vegan diets and offers a fruity twist to traditional upside-down cakes, making it a good dessert option when pears are in season or when looking for a plant-based treat.

Description

The Vegan Pear Upside Down Cake starts with arranging thin pear slices in a cake pan, coated with maple syrup or sugar, creating a caramelized fruit base once baked upside-down. The batter incorporates non-dairy milk, pear purée or applesauce, oil, sugar, vanilla, and spices such as cinnamon, contributing moisture and a gentle spice note. Flour combined with baking powder and soda forms the structure. Baking at 350°F for 35-40 minutes yields a cake with a soft crumb and a flavorful, tender pear topping. Cooling before inversion helps the caramel set and keeps the pear slices intact.

The gentle spice blend and the natural sweetness of pears complement each other without overpowering the cake, making it a subtle, comforting dessert. It can be served as a snack, a tea-time cake, or dessert when fresh pears are available.

Notes provide gluten-free adaptation using a mix of rice flour, oat flour, almond flour, potato starch, and flaxseed meal. For an oil-free version, applesauce and non-dairy yogurt substitute the oil, adjusting moisture and texture.

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Ingredients

Servings
  • 2 pear thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar for more caramelized, or half of each

Cake:

Wet:

  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk such as almond, soy
  • 1/4 cup pear purée I usually blend up leftover pear and use it, or applesauce
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon or cinnamon + cardamom, or pumpkin pie spice or chai spice

Dry:

  • 1.5 cups flour (I use a mix of all purpose and wheat), see notes for Glutenfree
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Line a 8 or 9 inch cake pan with parchment at the bottom. Arrange pear slices as you like. Pour the maple syrup (or sprinkle the sugar) all over the pear slices. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180C)
  2. Blend the remaining pear in a blender with 1-2 tsp of water until it is like applesauce. Measure out 1/4 cup of the puree and use in the cake. Or use applesauce.
  3. Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
  4. Mix the baking powder, baking soda and salt into the flour. Add 1.25 cups flour to the wet and mix in. Add 1-2 tbsp more at a time to make a thick batter, not too stiff but not too flowy.
  5. Pour gently on top of the pear slices in the cake pan and spread to even it out.
  6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick from the enter comes out clean.
  7. Cool for 15 mins, then remove cake by inverting it over a dish. Carefully peel off the parchment.
  8. Sprinkle a good pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or other fave spice blend on the pears. Cool for another 10 mins, then slice and serve with whipped coconut cream or vegan ice cream

Notes

  • Substitute the flour blend with gluten-free options: 1/2 cup white rice or oat flour, 1 1/4 cups almond flour, 1/3 cup potato starch, and 1 tablespoon flax seed meal.
  • For an oil-free cake, replace the oil with 2 tablespoons applesauce plus 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt.
  • The cake yields multiple servings and should be cooled 15 minutes before inverting to preserve the caramelized pear layer.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Calories 234kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 39g (13%) Protein 2.2g (4%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 0.3g (2%) Sodium 193mg (8%) Potassium 225mg (5%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 18g (36%) Vitamin A 10IU (0%) Vitamin C 2.6mg (3%) Calcium 98mg (10%) Iron 1.3mg (7%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 234 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories 234kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 39g 13%
Protein 2.2g 4%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 0.3g 2%
Sodium 193mg 8%
Potassium 225mg 5%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 18g 36%
Vitamin A 10IU 0%
Vitamin C 2.6mg 3%
Calcium 98mg 10%
Iron 1.3mg 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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5

279 reviews
Excellent

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