Easy Spiced Pear Cake Recipe

This Spiced Pear Cake recipe is a super easy and delicious upside-down cake. Pears add a lovely sweetness and moistness to this cake. It’s full of comforting warm spices that make it perfect for the fall season.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

• This sweet fruit cake recipe is burst with fall flavors and uses all the warm and comforting fall spices that you crave this time of year.
• The gooey pear caramel topping takes this cake recipe to the next level.
• By using in-season and fresh pears you get the best flavor.
• This cake is perfect for serving at holiday gatherings or as an after-dinner dessert.

If you love sweet fall recipes you may also want to give this Apple Cinnamon Bread recipe a try.

Ingredients 

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to help you make this Vegan Pear Upside Down Cake recipe. All of these ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store or market. You can find the full list of ingredients and the amounts needed in the recipe card below.

Topping

• red pears
• dairy-free butter
• brown sugar

Batter

• dairy-free butter
• brown sugar
• vanilla extract
• plant milk
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• cane sugar
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• ground ginger
• Pinch of salt

Equipment 

You only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this tasty vegan pear cake recipe. You should have most of the kitchen tools on hand already in your kitchen which can save you a trip to the store.

• 9-inch round cake pan
• cutting board and knife
• large mixing bowl 
• wooden spoon
• sifter or sieve
• large glass mixing cup or medium bowl
• baking sheet with edges

How to Make This Vegan Pear Cake

Making this cake is simple. Just follow the directions and you will have a spiced pear cake that will wow your friends and family in no time at all.

Pear Topping

1. Prepare pears by cutting them in half, removing seeds and stem, then thinly slicing lengthways.
2. Mix together dairy-free butter and brown sugar, then spread over the bottom of a 9-inch round baking pan.
3. Top with sliced pears, overlapping to create a circular pattern.

For the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (176C).
2. Into a medium mixing bowl add dairy-free butter and cane sugar, and mix to combine. Then add vanilla extract and plant milk, and stir to combine.
3. Into a second medium bowl, sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then add cane sugar, ground spices, and salt. Stir to combine.
4. Pour wet ingredients into a bowl of dry ingredients, then stir to combine.
5. Pour batter into the baking pan on top of the brown butter and pear.
6. Place pear cake into the oven (see note) and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
7. Place a serving plate over the top of the baking pan. Then holding both together tightly, turn upside down placing the plate on the counter. Then carefully remove the baking pan to reveal the beautiful spiced pear cake.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature. Adding a little scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Storage

I usually don’t have leftovers of this delicious cake, however, if you do it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Pro Tips 

Here are a few tips to make sure that this vegan pear cake turns out perfectly every time that you make it.

• Make sure to use ripe pears that are not too soft. You want them to hold their shape when sliced.
• Slicing the pears thinly will help them cook evenly.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until combined. Overmixing can result in a tough cake.
• The cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
• Let the cake cool completely before inverting it onto a plate. This will help it to hold together.
• If you want a little extra flavor, try adding a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to the brown sugar and butter mixture.
• This cake does tend to bubble up while it’s baking, so to keep your oven clean I recommend placing your cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet before you put it in the oven.
• You can also use fresh apples for this recipe instead of juicy pears.
• Use a nonstick pan for this recipe, or grease your pan really well with vegan butter or coconut oil.

FAQs

Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.

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