Upside down pear gingerbread cake is the perfect way to welcome the cooler months of Fall and Winter. Delicious ripe pears are baked into a gingerbread spiced cake that will certainly wow any guests.

This cake can be served as dessert with ice cream, or as an afternoon snack cake with a cup of tea or pumpkin spiced latte.

Upside down pear cake on a white dish with 3 pears, a bowl of cinnamon and a spoon, and a pie cutter on the side.

Upside Down Cake

This upside down pear cake uses freshly baked pears and combines them with a gingerbread spice cake. The cake is moist and tastes like warming Fall spices. The pears are tender with the perfect amount of sweetness.
This cake might look difficult but it’s actually quite easy to make. The ingredients are budget-friendly and in-season ripe pears are easy to find at grocery stores.
Pear slices can be arranged to create a decorative pattern on top of the cake. Make them all face the same way as I did, turn them into a spiraling circle or have them facing up to show off a stronger pear shape.
For more Fall baking recipes try our beautiful gingerbread house cake, the delicious old fashioned brown bread with molasses, or the easy and sweet baked pumpkin spiced oats.

Recipe Ingredients

PEARS: I used bartlett pears for this recipe. You can also use bosc pears. Whichever you choose, just make sure they are ripe.

DRY INGREDIENTS: All-purpose flour, and granulated sugar are combined with Fall spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The recipe can also be made with cake and pastry flour.

WET INGREDIENTS: Milk, eggs, and vegetable oil add moisture to the cake ingredients. Molasses adds sweetness and flavor.

Four images together showing steps to make the recipe. First is pears peeled, cored and sliced on a cutting board. Second is slices of pears arranged in a single layer in glass dish. Third is bowl of batter with a spatula. Four is batter in a glass square baking dish.

How To Make Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

Peel, core and slice the pears into strips.
Pour melted butter and sugar into baking dish. Top with sliced pears.
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients separately. Combine to create the cake batter.
Pour the batter over top of the sliced pears and bake until golden brown.
Once cooled, carefully flip the cake onto a serving plate. Slice into squares, serve and enjoy!

Leftover gingerbread cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I like to warm slices in the microwave for a few seconds before serving again.

Close up of the sliced pears on top of the upside down pear gingerbread cake with green pears in the background.

Recipe Tips

Slice the pears into thin strips. These will cook faster and more evenly with the cake.
If the edges of the cake are starting to brown you can cover the top with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking time.
Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel and core the pears. If you’ve never cored a pear before, here are instructions on how to core a pear.
Grease the baking pan with vegetable oil and a paper towel before adding the ingredients. This will help the cake release much easier.
Serve this delicious cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipping cream, coconut cream, our banana nice cream recipe, dairy-free tofu ice cream, or even plain greek yogurt.

Looking down at the sliced pears on a brown square cake, sitting on a white decorative plate.

More Cake Recipes

Strawberry Pineapple Cake is the perfect combination of pineapples and strawberries.
Marshmallow Cake Bars with sprinkles are the perfect party treat.
Classic Devils Food Cake is an old-fashioned classic recipe.
Chocolate Angel Food Cake is a delicious vintage recipe from grandma’s cookbook.
Banana Bundt Cake is perfect for serving to a large crowd.

Upside Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

Delicious ripe pears are baked into a gingerbread spiced cake that will certainly wow any guests.

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Servings: 9 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp usalted butter - melted
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 ripe bartlett pears
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour - or cake & pastry flour
½ cup granulated sugar - or cane sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a square baking dish with cooking oil.
Peel the skin off the pears with a vegetable peeler. Slice the pears in half then remove the inner core and stem with a spoon and knife.
Brush the pears with the lemon juice and slice them into thin strips.
Pour melted butter evenly into the baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over top.
Arrange the pears into a single layer on top of the butter and sugar.
In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, and nutmeg.
Mix together the eggs, milk, molasses and vegetable oil in a separate bowl.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until just combined.
Pour the cake into the prepared square baking dish. Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked through the center. Let cool 5 minutes in baking dish.
Gently loosen the sides of the cake with a butter knife or spatula.
Place a large plate (big enough to cover the cake) overtop of the baking dish. Gently flip the baking dish over on to the large plate. The bottom of the cake is now facing up (this is the side with pears).
If any pears stick in the baking dish, just remove and place back on to the top of the cake.
Slice into squares, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

Leftover gingerbread cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I like to warm slices in the microwave for a few seconds before serving again.

Slice the pears into thin strips. These will cook faster and more evenly with the cake.
If the edges of the cake are starting to brown you can cover the top with aluminum foil for the rest of the baking time.
Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel and core the pears. If you’ve never cored a pear before, here are instructions on how to core a pear.
Grease the baking pan with vegetable oil and a paper towel before adding the ingredients. This will help the cake release much easier.
Pear slices can be arranged to create a decorative pattern on top of the cake. Make them all face the same way as I did, turn them into a spiraling circle of have them facing up to show off a stronger pear shape.
Serve this delicious cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipping cream, coconut cream, our banana nice cream recipe, dairy-free tofu ice cream, or even plain greek yogurt.

Nutrition

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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