Pear Upside Down Cake (Vegan)

 

Recipe from Vegan Richa

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Yield: 8 servings

I'm liking this cake.  It's nicely moist, perfectly spiced and vegan to boot!  Served with a little scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream plus a hot cup of coffee or tea and you've got a great autumn/winter dessert for an intimate party with friends.

Bottom/Top of Cake:

1 pear, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 1/4-inch thick)

3 Tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar (for more caramelization) OR half of each (I did half of each.)

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk.)

1/4 cup pear puree (I drained the juice from a can of pears and used a stick blender to blend the pears.  I froze what I didn't use for the recipe for future cakes. You can substitute applesauce for the pear puree, but I think the pear puree adds to the taste of the cake.)

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour** (I used a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat.)

1 teaspoon cinnamon OR pumpkin pie spice OR chai spice OR a mix of cinnamon + cardamom (plus more for serving, if desired.)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

Instructions:

Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom.  Arrange the pear slices as you like.  Pour the maple syrup (and/or sprinkle the brown sugar) all over the pear slices.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

Whisk the dry ingredients** in a smaller bowl.  

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix until you have a thick batter (it shouldn't be too stiff, but not too "flowy.") 

Pour the batter gently on top of the pear slices and spread it to even it out.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes.  Remove the cake by inverting it over a serving dish.  Carefully peel off the parchment paper.

Sprinkle with a good pinch of the spices you used in the batter.  Cool for another 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with non-dairy vegan ice cream.  (We love Oatly and So Delicious brands.)

Notes: 

**The author suggests whisking in 1 1/4 cups flour first and then adding more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you get the batter thickness that is not too stiff or too flowy.  I took a chance and just used the full amount called for and it turned out great. I've made the cake twice that way with no problems.

Gluten-Free Option: (not Husband-Tested) Mix 1/2 cup white rice flour/oat flour; 1 1/4 cup almond flour; 1/3 cup potato starch; 1 Tablespoon flax seed meal.  Use 1 1/2 cup of that flour mixture and add more as needed.  

Oil-Free Option: (not Husband-Tested) Use 2 Tablespoons applesauce + 2 Tablespoons non-dairy yogurt

Nutritional Information: (1 of 8 servings) 234 calories; 39 g carbohydrates; 2.2 grams protein; 7 g fat; 0.3 g saturated fat; 193 mg sodium; 224 mg potassium; 2 g fiber; 18 g sugars; 10IU vitamin A; 2.6 mg vitamin C; 98 mg calcium; 1.3 mg iron