Yes, Yes I did!! I made a Pear Upside Down Cake with an espresso walnut cake base and fresh fall pears. Instead of hiding those beautiful pears in the batter I wanted to showcase them front and center. With every bite you taste warm espresso and cinnamon spiced pears. To add a little crunch to all the the soft textures, I mixed chopped walnuts into the batter. Then maybe I poured a vanilla cream glaze on top to tie it all together!
Tips for a Pear Upside Down Cake:
- Use a spring form cheesecake pan for baking. For this recipe I used a 9 inch pan. Makes removing your cake without damaging your pears much easier.
- Butter Butter Butter the bottom of that pan before layering your pears. (cold butter)
- Use Room Temperature butter when creaming together butter and sugar for batter.
- Self Rising Flour already contains baking powder and salt. If you need to substitute for All Purpose Flour use the same flour measurement of 1 ⅓ Cups (200 g) and add 2 tsps baking powder and ½ tsp salt.
- Dilute your instant coffee powder with water or for added espresso punch put powder directly into batter.
- Let the cake cool in the pan before removing.
- Mix your glaze in a small bowl with a whisk. To create thicker glaze simply add more powdered sugar. For a thinner glaze add a touch more milk, using a tsp at a time. Powdered sugar is very absorbent, so it doesn’t take much.
Technically this is a dessert, but I think its ok to enjoy a slice with a cup of coffee for breakfast. What do you think?!

Espresso Pear Upside Down Cake
Pear Upside Down Cake with an espresso walnut cake base and fresh fall pears. Hints of Coffee, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg, topped with a vanilla glaze.
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Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 376kcal
Ingredients
Batter
- 11 Tbsp (150 g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 3 Large Eggs
- ¾ Cup (150 g) Light Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
- 1 ⅓ Cups (200 g) Self Rising Flour
- 3 Tbsp Vanilla Almond Milk
- 3 Tbsp Instant Coffee dissolved into 2 Tbsp hot water
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Cup (125 g) Chopped Walnuts
Layering Pears
- 4 Bosc Pear peeled, core removed and sliced
- 3 Tbsp Cold Butter for coating baking pan
- 2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon for Sprinkling on Butter
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 Cup (125 g) Powdered Sugar
- ¼ Cup (60 ml) Almond Milk
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 F (180 C)
- Whisk together sifted flour and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat together sugar and butter on medium high until smooth.
- Add eggs and whip until foamy.
- Continue by pouring in coffee, milk, and vanilla.
- Slowly spoon flour and nutmeg mixture into liquid batter, continuing on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom as needed with spatula to incorporate all ingredients.
- Once batter is smooth and creamy, fold in chopped walnuts using a hand spatula.
- Generously coat sides and bottom of spring form cake pan with (9 inch) with cold butter. ( I grab chunk of butter with fingertips and rub across surface.)
- Sprinkle the bottom of pan only with a dusting of cinnamon.
- Layer bottom of pan with sliced pears in a circular pattern. (two think layers that cover bottom of cake pan to prevent batter from seeping through.)
- Spoon cake batter onto pears and level with spatula.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing sides and flipping upside down onto cooling rack.
- Prepare vanilla glaze while cake is cooling.
- Stir vanilla glaze ingredients together in a small bowl with hand whisk. Add more powdered sugar for thicker glaze and more milk for thinner glaze.
- Gently lift bottom of pan from the pears slowly to prevent tearing pears.
- Slice and serve warm with a drizzle of vanilla glaze!!
did you make this recipe?Mention @twocupsflour or tag #twocupsflour!
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcal