I love this upside down pear cake and have been making it a lot recently. I guess its because I’m still always surprised that you can make a vegan cake that tastes so good. I mean why didn’t anyone tell me this years ago!
The cake is moist, sweet with lovely tones of cinnamon – real comfort food that is also nourishing to the soul. The spelt flour makes it lighter on the digestion and the pear is gorgeously soft and mellow. I love the moment you invert the cake on a plate after cooking and see what pattern the pear has made – always very satisfying. This is officially my new favourite recipe.
PS if you’re short on time you can replace the homemade pear sauce with natural shop bought apple sauce (so you’ll just need the one sliced pear for the bottom of the cake tin)
Upside down pear cake (vegan)
Ingredients
150g | 1½ cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
4 medium pears, peeled and cored
80g | ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ lemon, juice only
2 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C | Gas mark 4
In a large bowl mix the spelt flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and set aside
Line the bottom of a round 22cm | 8.5 inch cake tin with parchment paper
Cut one of the pears into thin slices and arrange in the bottom of the prepared cake tin
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the pears
Roughly chop the remaining three pears and blitz in a food processor with the lemon juice and two tablespoons of water until you have a smooth pear sauce
Create a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the pear sauce, vegetable oil, maple syrup and stir until combined.
Carefully spoon the batter over the pears and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean
Leave to cool a little then run a knife round the edge of the cake tin. Invert the cake onto a plate and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
Slice and serve.
