Upside-down sticky pear and walnut cake
This spectacular upside-down sticky pear and walnut cake from Nicola Lamb is the perfect autumnal dessert. Fragrant with walnuts and a touch of buckwheat, the pears have all the soft give of tinned pears but the fragrance of fresh ones. An unabashedly sticky delight.
Nicola says: 'I was never a fan of upside-down cakes until I realised one very important detail: they MUST be eaten warm. This is somewhere between a cake and a hot pudding – the sort of thing to serve at the end of lunch. The cake comes together in less than 5 minutes in a food processor, too! I’m always surprised at how far a small amount of buckwheat flour goes. Just a tablespoon in this recipe lifts it and gives the most delicious potent flavour. If you don’t have any open, you could sub for more ground walnuts or flour.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Walnuts
- 60g of walnuts
Goo
- 240g of soft light brown sugar
- 80g of butter
- 120g of double cream
- 3g of flaky sea salt, about 1 tsp
Cake
- 400g of pears, about 2
- 100g of butter, softened
- 100g of soft dark brown sugar
- 25g of caster sugar
- 100g of whole egg
- 90g of plain flour
- 15g of buckwheat flour
- 8g of baking powder, about 2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1g of flaky sea salt, about 1/2 tsp
- 20g of toasted walnuts from above
- 45g of whole milk
- 35g of double cream
Plus
- ice cream, or pouring cream, to serve
Equipment
- 20cm springform cake tin
Method
Toast the walnuts in a frying pan over a medium heat for 5–8 minutes or for 15–20 minutes in a 200°C/180°C fan oven until toasty and golden. Set 40g aside and roughly chop – you want a mixture of sizes with some halves and larger pieces
- 60g of walnuts
To make the goo, in a saucepan combine the sugar and butter. Bring to the boil and bubble for 1–2 minutes until darkened. Whisk in the cream and salt and bubble for 1 more minute until thickened. Reserve half for serving
- 240g of soft light brown sugar
- 80g of butter
- 120g of double cream
- 3g of flaky sea salt, about 1 tsp
Line the base of the springform tin with baking paper that extends about 2–3cm up the sides of the tin. This will prevent the liquid from seeping out
Pour the other half of the goo mixture into the tin. Sprinkle over half of the chopped toasted walnuts
Peel, halve and core the pears, then slice them into 0.5cm pieces. Arrange the pears in concentric circles, slightly overlapping, in the tin. Tuck the remaining roughly chopped walnuts into any gaps
- 400g of pears, about 2
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan
To make the cake in a stand mixer or by hand, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs, one by one, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter with the paddle attachment. Grind the remaining toasted walnuts and stir in. Finally, stir through the milk and double cream.
OR
To mix in the food processor, blitz the walnuts with the caster sugar until finely ground, then add the dark brown sugar and butter and blend until aerated and smooth. Add in the eggs, one by one, scraping down the bowl as you go. Sift together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, then add to the bowl. Finally, add the milk and double cream
- 100g of butter, softened
- 100g of soft dark brown sugar
- 25g of caster sugar
- 100g of whole egg
- 90g of plain flour
- 15g of buckwheat flour
- 8g of baking powder, about 2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1g of flaky sea salt, about 1/2 tsp
- 20g of toasted walnuts from above
Spread the cake batter evenly over the pears. Bake for 45–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5–10 minutes. Place a plate underneath, then flip the cake over. Carefully remove the tin and paper. Serve warm with the reserved goo and ice cream or pouring cream. Leftovers should always be reheated!
- ice cream, or pouring cream, to serve
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