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This fudgy upside-down pear cake recipe is one of the easiest, yet most delicious cakes you’ll ever make. Sweet caramelised pears form the base of a completely fool proof cake as it cooks, until you turn it out and the pears become the top. The whole thing gets covered in the most delicious and simple fudge sauce – it’s so good. It’s inspired by Ballymaloe Cookery School where I spent 3 months after I finished university. I’ve made Rachel Allen’s apple version of this countless times, and here I have adapted it to include pears. I’ve made this more times than I can count and it’s a complete crowd pleaser. It’s so easy, moist and perfect for autumn teatimes or dessert.
I like to make this cake ahead of time often, then cover with fudge sauce when ready to serve. It’s so good, sweet and rich but delicately flavoured. This post has an easy recipe, plus troubleshooting, storage, make-ahead options, swaps and FAQs. For something a bit more extravagant, you might want to try my chocolate marshmallow s’mores cake or salted caramel cheesecake.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- A fudgy, glossy topping that soaks into the sponge without collapsing it.
- Uses accessible ingredients and a food processor method for a quick, even batter.
- Great make-ahead dessert as it keeps well overnight, then finish with the fudge sauce.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar in the US.
Pears – go for small, ripe pears – any variety you like! You want pears that are just slightly squidgy and feel heavy, meaning they are nice and juicy. Give them a light squeeze between your fingers to test the ripeness. If they are hard, they aren’t quite ready yet and not great for this pear cake.
Self-raising flour – known as self-rising flour in the US.
Substitutions and Variations:
Self raising flour – if you can’t find self-raising flour where you are, you can use all-purpose (plain) flour with 1 & 3⁄4 tsp of baking powder.
Sugar – you can swap the caster sugar for granulated sugar or golden caster sugar. For the base of the pear cake, you can use any brown sugar, such as demerara.
Fruit – you can use all sorts of fruit in this recipe. Stone fruit like apricots, peaches and nectarines work well, or, of course, apples.
Here’s how to make this simple pear cake recipe:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Line and butter your pan, making sure the base is well greased. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/355f. Peel the pears then slice them in half. Use a teaspoon to remove the core and then slice thinly.
TWO: Lay the pear slices nicely in a spiral pattern – this will become the top of the cake once it’s turned out.
THREE: Sprinkle over the 50g of dark brown sugar.
FOUR: In a food processor, blend together the butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and self-raising flour until smooth.
FIVE: Pour this mixture over the pears, spreading it gently to cover. Bake in the preheated oven for around 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
SIX: Pour the warm fudge sauce over the cooled cake, smoothing it to cover the surface. Slice and enjoy!
Cooking Tips:
Pan choice: sauté pan vs spring-form tin: both work well. A spring-form tin will give you clean sides, whereas a pan has rounded edges and looks a bit more rustic. Go with what you prefer.
Don’t overbeat the batter: if there are a few lumps left from blending in the food processor, don’t stress, as they will dissolve as the cake bakes. Overmixing makes for a tough cake, which we don’t want. Make sure the butter is room temperature and softened so it incorporates well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because the pears release juice, a skewer that goes through a fruit slice will look wet, which may lead you to think the cake is underdone. Instead, insert the skewer into the centre of the sponge section, avoiding the pear slices. If it comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs), your cake is ready.
Yes, make the fudge sauce ahead and gently reheat it over low heat when ready to serve. To prevent graininess (crystallisation), stir gently, add a splash of warm cream or water if needed, and avoid boiling during reheating.
Firmer pears like Bosc or Conference hold their shape better during baking and when turned out, giving neater look/slices on top of the cake. Softer pears (such as Comice) make the cake juicier but you risk the slices losing their shape. This doesn’t bother me at all but if it bothers you, bear that in mind.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
I have lots of other upside-down cakes on my website if you liked this pear version. Try my caramelised banana upside down cake, plum & yoghurt upside down cake or my raspberry and ricotta cake (not upside-down but fruity and delicious). For another delicious cake, try my custard creme brulee cake.
Puddings
Apple Crumble Cheesecake
Easy Baking Recipes
Ballymaloe’s Tunisian Orange Cake (Gluten Free)
Easy Baking Recipes
Clafoutis aux Cerises (French Cherry Dessert)
Easy Dessert Recipes
Lemon Meringues
If you tried this Pear Cake recipe or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Upside-Down Pear Cake with Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 pears, cut into eighths
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 175 g butter, softened
- 175 g light brown sugar
- 175 g self-raising flour
- 4 eggs
For the fudge sauce:
- 110 g butter
- 110 g light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
For the cake:
- Line and butter a 25cm ovenproof frying pan or cake tin, making sure the base is well greased. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/355f. If you want to make it in a smaller tin, you can but it will just take slightly longer to bake.
- Peel the pears then slice them in half. Use a teaspoon to remove the core and then slice thinly.
- Lay the pear slices nicely in a spiral pattern – this will become the top of the cake once it’s turned out. Sprinkle over the 50g of dark brown sugar.
- In a food processor, blend together the butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and self-raising flour until smooth. Pour this mixture over the pears, spreading it gently to cover.
- If you don't have a food processor, just cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk. Add the eggs, mix, followed by the flour.
- Bake in the preheated oven for around 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 2 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a plate. Allow to cool completely.
Make the fudge sauce:
- Melt the butter and light brown sugar in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved.
- Once the sauce is glossy, pour the warm fudge sauce over the cooled cake, smoothing it to cover the surface. Slice and enjoy!
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The easiest cake you will ever make – pear cake with fudge sauce – it’s so so good and one I have made for years and years.
I’ve just made this cake on Christmas Eve! So easy to make. Will serve tomorrow with the honeycomb ice cream you’ve also shown me!