Maple Pear Upside-Down Cake
Updated Sept. 2, 2025
- Total Time
- 90 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 11tablespoons butter
- ¾cup maple syrup
- ¼cup packed brown sugar
- 3 to 4pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- ¾cup granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla
- 2large eggs
- 1½cups flour
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ¼teaspoon salt
- ½cup milk
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
381 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 42 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 139 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top.
- Step 2
With a handheld or standing mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Step 3
Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
Great cake. The second time I made it I omitted the brown sugar as it was a bit too sweet with the brown sugar. I also had an accident inverting it the second time and ended up with a mess. I reconstructed it in a pie plate and threw toasted pecans all over it to cover up the rough edges and discovered that the toasted pecans were a terrific addition. It was a big hit with guests both times I served it.
Syrup: 1/3 cup of maple syrup
2 TBS brown sugar
Cake: 1/2 cup sugar
Egg replacement: 2TBS ground flaxseed
mixed with 6Tbsp warm water
This was great! I reduced maple syrup to 1/2 cup per suggestion but I don’t think it was necessary. I also reduced the caramel for longer than suggested which I do recommend. I added cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves to the better. Lastly, and if you take anything away from this note let it be this: I left the peel on the pears because I like the flavor and color.
What a delicious way to enjoy all of those Bartlett pears from our tree. Like others, I reduced the maple syrup to 1/2 cup and the white sugar to 1/2 cup. It was perfect. I lined the bottom of my pan with parchment paper, and let the cake sit after removing it from the oven for about 30 minutes before I ran a knife around the edge and inverted it. I think that allowed the carmel bottom to firm up.
This is one of my favorite dessert recipes Ever! Helps to use fairly ripe pears for flavor and texture. For flipping the cake, make sure to use a plate 3 inches wider than the baking pan with some depth as well. Some whipped cream on top was perfection.
I cut 1/4 c of the maple syrup and cooked the glaze quite a bit longer than I should have. The glaze hardened to pretty solid caramel almost immediately after poured into the pan, to the point the pears just sat on top of it. It baked through to a really nice soaked-in texture on the top of the cake, but the cake itself ended up pretty dry. I imagine a wetter glaze, while messier for flipping, makes for a more moist cake. I want to second a comment I read on here too, that it truly doesn’t matter whether or not you’re careful about how you place the pears. I stressed about it but in the end it looked beautiful. I’ll definitely try this again, will try to plan for the dryness better!