Whole Wheat Caramelized Pear and Walnut Upside Down Cake
Yay, I finally baked a cake! And it felt great! Now I kinda understand what they mean when people say stuff like baking is therapeutic (which I always thought was b.s.). There is something about mixing up a bunch of ingredients and shoving it in the oven hoping that something great is going to come out of there. You’ve got to get it right the first time, there is no patching it up once it is done, unlike most of my dishes. If something goes wrong, it is very difficult to salvage it, the main reason why I never got into baking in the first place. Oh, and the following of a recipe to the T part, not my thing either.
So why did I go and bake a cake all of a sudden? I have to blame all these holiday sale promotion offers which were filling up my inbox during the holiday season. What’s a shopaholic to do but succumb to at least one of those tempting offers. When I saw this hand mixer on a one-day sale for a great price, I gave in. It was too pretty to pass up. So I had to put that to use at least once to get over the guilt of an impulse purchase. As this first attempt was a success, I might just have to bake a few more things. Also the hand mixer is almost like a power toy, Siv is really into it so if I need some strong hands to kneed some dough, I have no more excuses. So watch out for some more baked goods this year.
Why a pear upside-down cake? I’ve always been fascinated by upside down cakes, the fruits make a lovely presentation, and I had a few pears to use up. After going through many recipes, I decided to follow the Pear Upside Down Cake recipe on Oprah.com for the basic cake part. My personal touches were the maple caramelization of the pears and the addition of the caramelized walnuts. I also substituted the cake flour with whole wheat pastry flour, just because that’s the only pastry flour I had at home. When you are talking about 14 tbsp butter and 2 cups sugar, I don’t think using whole wheat flour is going to make any big difference in making this a bit more healthy. I do like the crumbier texture of the whole wheat flour compared to AP flour though. I served this straight out of the fridge the first time around and it was a bit hard. Next time I heated it up for 30 seconds in the microwave and it was all soft again.
Ingredients
For the Caramelized Pears
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch wedges
For the Caramelized Walnuts
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Cake
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 12 tbsp butter , softened
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2/3 cup whole milk
Method
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Make the caramelized pears: Place a skillet on the stove and melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and heat till the sugar is melted. Now add the pear slices and maple syrup and saute for about 5 minutes till the pear slices start to brown. Add the maple syrup and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes till soft. Pour the pears and the liquid into a large bowl and let it cool.
Make the caramelized walnuts: Add 1tbsp butter and 2 tbsp brown sugar to the same pan, heat till the sugar is melted. Add the maple syrup and bring to a boil. Add the walnuts and mix to coat well with the liquid. Cook stirring continuously till most of the liquid is gone. Transfer to a foil lined tray and separate the nuts with a spatula and let it cool down.
Make the cake batter: In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom powder. In a large bowl, place the butter and the granulated sugar and beat with the mixer on high till fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the eggs, vanilla and ginger until well blended. Add the flour mixture and the milk to the large bowl. Beat on low just until well blended.
Coat the bottom of a cake pan with vegetable oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper, spray a bit more oil to coat the paper. Arrange the pear slices in circles to cover the bottom of the pan. Scatter the caramelized walnuts on top of the pears. Pour the remaining liquid from the pears over this.
Now spoon the batter over the fruits and nuts. Spread the mixture evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake for about 55 minutes until golden brown. A toothpick or a knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the sides. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment paper. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
This cake can be refrigerated for 2-3 days, just reheat the slices in the microwave before serving.
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This is so good… I’m one of those people Sig, for whom baking is truly therapeutic. And of late, Sachin has taken a fancy to the handmixer I’ve had for 20 years
so I just need to keep putting the ingredients and he beats everything up.
I love upside down cakes and plan to bake a peach upside down soon
http://chefatwork.blogspot.com/2009/08/pineapple-upside-down-cake.html
Habba! Habba! Habba! Love the awesome color.. can you please get some to work pleaseeeeee!
the color is just awesome!! when did you bake this?? n why didnt you bring this along on Tues??
hey sig i am liking this especialy as it uses the whole wheat flour. looks grand!
wow..yours look so much better…
the cake looks awesome. Great work, and glad you started baking:-)
Happy 2010 to you both Sig!
You baked a cake! WOW! Looks great. Baking bread is wonderful too, next try?
I know! These “sale” word is evil!
yupppeeeeeeeee you are baking, beautiful bake cake i just love how you have arranged the pears.
Enjoyed reading this post, Sig.
Esp the part where you say wholewheat flour can’t redeem all that butter and sugar 
Baking is therapeutic — doesn’t it sound oh so warm and cozy
Write more such stuff on your blog Sig 
But honestly the cake looks perfect. My baking totally depends on the “baking God” and her favors so result is never predictable
Lovely, the pears are arranged so beautifully !! I do this whole wheat thing to beat the guilt, but like you said with the butter and sugar, who am I kidding ?? Hope you bake more – I started baking when I started blogging and it does feel gooood ! Have a great year ahead !
i am a convert from a petrified to a dignified baker!! and i just cant get enough of the aroma that fills the house when the baking is almost done… your upside down looks fab….
First time baker? Wow, that cake looks awesome with those very nicely arranged pear slices! I am addicted to baking, it is one of those things – once you start, you just can’t stop trying and experimenting with diff recipes. Happy baking
I made this in December Manju, it’s been in my drafts forever.
This certainly looks wonderful! I agree that with all that butter the use of whole wheat pastry flour should not make a real difference but it does make one feel good and healthy, doesn’t it?
Wish you a happy, peaceful and healthy new year!
I know…whole wheat really doesnt make up for eating all that butter and sugar..but its something…
and well im one of those who finds baking therapeutic…i just love it…do it more often i am sure u will too! love the cake thought…the picture is fabulous..but then all ur pics are!
Hmmm, that look really delicious, very caramely.
The cake looks awesome sig, Happy Baking!
YUMMY!!
See it is therapeutic, especially if you have a success at the end of the baking!
Seriously, its a lovely cake.
One luxurious looking dessert. I try to put off baking becoz i don’t like following exact recipes
Good use of the mixer I see now! Keep these coming Sig.
You dont look like a first time baker to me
the cake looks fabulous!
Always luv upside down cakes..this is no exception..pic looks gr8..and nice new template too!!
Always have been awed by your receipes Sig. But the new template is just awesome. The page looks more cooler than ever.
Test
Thanks everyone!
That looks gorgeous – love the glaze…
Haleluiah for the small wonders- finally I see something sweet on your blog. It look so perfect….Awesomeness Sig !
Hi Sig,
I have been hooked to your site ever since a friend pointed it out to me. (LOVE your pork dishes)
I have a question – perhaps a stupid one, but can regular chapathi atta be substityuted for wheat pastry flour?
Reshma
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