Pear upside-down cake recipe from cook, farmer and gardener Julius Roberts

A moist but light cake with juicy caramelised pears on top, from chef and smallholder Julius Roberts

Cook: 1 hr 20 mins

Serves: 8

Julius Roberts

Published: December 14, 2023 at 9:47 am

This pear and walnut upside down cake is juicy, moist and wonderfully light, but most importantly, not too sweet. It sings with warm flavours from the spices, while the walnuts provide an earthy and satisfying crunch.

I find this cake lasts a good few days, especially if you keep it covered. Just gently warm any leftover slices in a low 140°C fan oven before you tuck in, which brings it back to life. Serve with crème fraîche or double cream.

This recipe is from the book The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, with photographs by Elena
Heatherwick, which is published by Ebury Press, priced £22

Ingredients

For the topping
6 ripe pears
50g butter
80g soft brown sugar
Juice 1 lemon
For the cake
200g butter softened
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
5 cardamon pods seeds ground
3 cloves
100g walnuts
200g self-raising flour
4 tbsp baking powder
5g sea salt
1tsp ground cinnnamon
100g sour cream

Methods

Step 1

Start by peeling the pears, then cut into quarters lengthways and remove the cores with a sharp knife. Place a wide frying pan on a medium heat and add the butter. When it begins to melt, add the pears, cut side down then sprinkle the soft brown sugar over the top and shimmy the pan, using the weight of the pears to mix the sugar into the butter. Squeeze in the lemon juice and cook down for 8-10 minutes, until the pears have softened and the butter and sugar have become an amber-coloured caramel.
Step 2
Remove the pears and arrange cut side up, fat side out in a 9in cake tin (you may not need all of them). Ideally, don’t use a springform tin, as the small gap allows the caramel to trickle out. But if you have to, use some baking parchment to create a seal (if possible, you want the cake touching the metal sides as this creates a lovely crust).
Step 3
Leave the caramel bubbling on a low heat to reduce further until it is properly thick, then pour over the pears. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan.
Step 4
For the cake, you can either mix with an electric whisk or use a stand mixer. Place the softened butter in a large bowl and add the sugar. Whisk until the butter is pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides a few times to make sure it is evenly incorporated. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is thoroughly mixed before adding the next, or the butter may split.
Step 5
Grind the cardamom seeds and cloves in a pestle and mortar, then pour into a bowl. Bash the walnuts in the pestle and mortar, or crush them in a folded tea towel using a rolling pin. You want to keep a chunky texture. Mix the flour with the baking powder to ensure it’s evenly distributed. Sift, then add to the butter with the salt, cinnamon, ground spices and walnuts. Mix these dry ingredients into the batter, then stir through the sour cream.
Step 6
Pour the cake batter over the pears and lightly even out the top. Now, remembering that all ovens are different, place in the middle shelf for up to an hour, until the cake is set.
Step 7
After around 30 minutes, I turn the heat down to 160°C fan to make sure the top doesn’t get too dark. Keep an eye, but don’t open the door or you risk the cake deflating. After about 50 minutes, give the cake a jiggle – if the middle is at all wobbly it’s not cooked yet. To test, insert a skewer into the middle, and when it comes out clean, it’s ready.
Step 8
At this point, remove from the oven and leave to sit for 15 minutes, then place a chopping board gently on top of the cake. Flip the cake and board, then remove the tin and you should have a beautifully risen cake with juicy caramelised pears on top.

Julius Roberts

Julius Roberts is a first-generation farmer and restaurant trained chef, on a mission to live a self-sufficient life down on his family smallholding in Dorset, whilst also cultivating the finest ingredients, and cooking and eating the very best food.

Pear upside-down cake recipe from cook, farmer and gardener Julius Roberts

Ingredients

Methods

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

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Pear upside-down cake recipe from cook, farmer and gardener Julius Roberts

Ingredients

Methods

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

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