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Pear Upside-Down Loaf

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Topped with pear halves, this rustic upside-down cake is perfect for a casual dinner with family and friends during the winter holidays. We’ve added stone-ground polenta to the batter, which adds a pleasing crunch to the finished dessert. The pears are spread with black currant jam that brings a sweet-tart flavor to the topping. Buy pears that are ripe but still slightly firm to the touch so they’ll hold their shape when baked.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

For the pear topping:

  • 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3 Tbs. sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
  • 2 small pears, such as Bartlett or Bosc, peeled, halved and cored
  • 1/2 cup (5 oz./155 g) black currant jam

For the cake:

  • 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) (6 oz./185 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (7 oz./200 g) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 oz./150 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup (4 1/4 oz./122 g) stone-ground polenta
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) buttermilk
  • Honey for drizzling

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 5-by-9-inch (13-by-23-cm) loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. Line with parchment paper, letting it overhang on two sides by about 1 inch (2.5 cm).

To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Transfer the butter mixture to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly to the edges. Place the pear halves, cut sides down, on top of the butter mixture. Spread the jam evenly over the pears. Set aside.

To make the cake, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the almond extract and lemon zest, about 1 minute.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt. Stir half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Stir in the buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour mixture.

Scrape the batter on top of the pears in the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Using the overhanging parchment, carefully remove the cake from the pan and invert onto a serving dish. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes or to room temperature. Cut into slices, drizzle with honey and serve. Serves 8.

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