Honey Pear Upside Down Cake
Honey butter cake layers, baked with caramelized pears and covered in a honey cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 (300 g) cups sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (115 g) honey
- 2 teaspoons (8.4) gvanilla
- 3 pears pealed and sliced
- 3 tablespoons (42.4 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (14.8 g) water
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
- 4 ounces (112.5 g) cream cheese slightly chilled
- 7 cups (875 g) powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons (87.5 g) honey
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the water and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely melted. Add the sliced pears and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, honey and vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add in the dry and wet ingredients, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- In two of the pans, evenly place the pears on the parchment paper. Pour 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce over the pears in each pan.
- Evenly divide the batter between the three cake pans (about 16 to 17 ounces in each), being careful to gently spread the batter over the pears.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
- Reserve the leftover "caramel sauce." Once the cakes are cooled, drizzle the remaining sauce over the top of the cake layer that doesn't have pears.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed until it is all combined. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in honey.
ASSEMBLY
- Place first cake layer, pear-side up, on a cake plate. Cover the top of the layer with about a cup of buttercream. I like to use a piping bag to ensure I evenly cover the cake.
- Place second cake layer, pear-side up, on top of the frosting and cover it in frosting.
- Place the third cake layer, top-side down, on top of the second layer of frosting. Frost a crumb coat around the entire cake and set in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set before applying the remaining frosting.