Upside-down pear cake

Total: 2 hr 5 min. | Active: 45 min.
vegan, lactose-free

Baking is one of my favourite methods of cooking. Nothing gives me more joy than spending a few hours baking something utterly delicious and filling the house with the smell of freshly baked delights. This being said, I like to keep things simple – cue my upside-down pear cake. The combination of soft, sweet pears and light yet flavoursome chocolate espresso sponge is just divine. Pear and chocolate has always been one of my favourite combinations and the shot of espresso gives the cake an extra special twist!

Recipe by:
LAUREN - Food Photography Academy

Ingredients

for 12 pieces

Pears
4  pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
Dry sponge ingredients
400 g white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sodium bicarbonate
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp instant coffee
Wet sponge ingredients
100 g margarine, melted, left to cool
340 g cane sugar
3 ½ dl almond drink
130 g apple sauce
2 tsp apple vinegar
Toppings
2 tbsp flaked almonds, roasted
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 tsp water

How it's done

Pears

Arrange the pear slices over the base.

Dry sponge ingredients

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Wet sponge ingredients

Beat together the margarine and sugar. Mix in the almond milk, apple sauce and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and quickly mix together to form a smooth batter.

To bake

Pour the batter over the pears, smooth down.

Bake for approx. 60 mins. in the centre of an oven preheated to 170°C.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool on a rack for approx. 20 mins. Tip out onto a cooling rack, remove the tin frame and base, leave the cake to cool.

Toppings

Scatter the flaked almonds on top of the cake. Combine the icing sugar and water to make runny icing, then drizzle the icing over the cake.

Show complete recipe