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Overhead view of a golden pear upside down cake with glossy caramel and fanned pear wedges on a white plate

Skillet Salted Caramel Pear Upside Down Cake with Cinnamon

A buttermilk butter cake baked over brown sugar caramel and firm pears in a 25 cm / 10-inch skillet, flipped after a 10-minute rest. Serves 8 with about 25 minutes of hands-on work.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 426
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salted caramel pear topping
  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 150 g light brown sugar packed
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream (30 ml)
  • 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
  • 3 firm pears (Bosc or Anjou) medium (about 600 g); peeled, cored, cut into 1 cm / 1/2-inch wedges
Buttermilk cake batter
  • 190 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 115 g unsalted butter softened
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 120 ml buttermilk room temperature

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F with a rack in the center and a sheet pan 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch on the rack below. Peel, core, and cut the pears into 1 cm / 1/2-inch wedges. Whisk the flour, baking powder, fine salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
  2. Melt 60 g butter in a 25 cm / 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the mixture bubbles steadily and looks glossy. Stir in the cream, then take the skillet off the heat and sprinkle the flaky salt over the surface.
  3. Arrange the pear wedges in the caramel in tight, overlapping circles, working from the outer edge to the center. Pack them snugly because they shrink as they bake.
  4. Beat 115 g softened butter and the granulated sugar in the second bowl with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and starting and ending with flour, until just combined.
  5. Dollop the batter over the pears and spread it to the edge with an offset spatula, nudging gently so the fruit doesn't shift. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
  6. Set the skillet on a rack and cool for 10 minutes, no longer, so the caramel stays fluid. Run a thin knife around the edge, set a 30 cm / 12-inch plate over the skillet, and flip in one motion while wearing oven mitts. Lift the skillet away, tuck back any stray wedges, and let the cake stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Notes

  • Use an oven-safe skillet only, and check that the handle has no plastic or silicone grip.
  • Rest the cake in the skillet for 10 minutes before flipping, not longer.
  • Pack the pears snugly, since the batter spreads over them and they soften as it bakes.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature on the day you bake it for the best texture.