This gingered pear brown butter upside down cake! Pears are sprinkled with crystallized ginger, then topped with a bourbon caramel and brown butter cake!

Cake makes me happy.

The smell of it baking, the texture… evvvverything. I especially like cakes I don’t have to frost.

Enter this upside-down cake.

Brown Butter Pear Upside Down Cake - www.SimplyScratch.com

This is my final recipe for the United Dairy Industry of Michigan in support of their Go Bold with Butter campaign. And if this cake doesn’t get you pumped to bake with butter, I don’t know what will.

This gingered pear brown butter upside down cake is all kinds of amazing. It has sliced pears that are sprinkled with crystallized ginger, then topped with a bourbon caramel and if that wasn’t decadent enough… I top all that with a brown butter cake batter. WHAT?!

REAL butter is all up in this cake, yo.

ingredients

Which reminds me, have I ever mentioned to you about my infatuation with browned butter? Okay, so it’s more like a full-blown obsession, kind of like my crush on Brad Pitt in the 10th grade. Yet this one I doubt I’ll get over. So, yes it’s true. I love brown butter. It’s so bad that I can’t help but see butter in a recipe and think “OoooO can I brown it?”, so that’s why I had to make a brown butter cake. Because brown butter cake needs a home and its home is in my mouth.

So grab all your cake-making goodies and let’s bake!

butter cake pan

Butter…

lightly floured

…and flour one 9-inch round cake pan and scoot it off to the side for a moment.

peel

Start by peeling two pears. I found a Y peeler to be the easiest of peelers. 🙂

halve and core

Halve and core each pear.

eighths

Then slice into eights.

arrange in the bottom of cake pan

Arrange the pears in a spiral of sorts. You might not fit all of the pears so consider the remaining pears a snack 🙂

chopped crystalized ginger

Sprinkle chopped crystallized ginger over the pears.

brown butter collage

Brown four tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat until the milk solids bubble and froth and eventually turn golden brown. Pour the brown butter in a bowl set atop of another bowl filled with ice to cool. Pop the cooled brown butter into the freezer so it can thicken further. {for about 15-20 minutes}. If it freezes that’s okay just set it out for a few to warm up.

chilled brown butter

Look at that goodness right there. Now just set that off to the side.

butter, bourbon, brown sugar and salt caramel

In a saucepan {I wiped out the one I just used} over medium heat, melt the butter, bourbon, the light brown sugar and a pinch of salt.

bubbling

Bring all that to a bubble, whisking often until it has slightly thickened.

pour over pears

And pour that over the pears. Oh. Dear. Lord.

dry ingredients

Whisk together the dry ingredients and set off to the side.

into the mixer

Then in the bowl of your mixer; combine 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, the four tablespoons of browned butter, vanilla bean caviar and sugar.

smooth

Blend until smooth and fluffy.

add in one egg at a time

Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one.

blend well after each egg

With the mixer on low…

dry

Alternate adding the dry ingredients…

buttermilk

…and the buttermilk. Repeat.

blended

Until you get this magnificent cake batter. I literally had to tie my arm back from taking a big-o scoop of that dough and licking it like a lollipop. Instead I waited for that paddle attachment… wise choice.

spoon batter over pears

Spoon the batter over the pears…

bake

And smooth it over with a spatula. Bake in a 350° oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean {maybe with a few crumbs} when inserted into the center of the cake.

Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake l SimplyScratch.com

Let the cake rest for 10 minutes before running a knife along the edge and then inverting the cake onto a platter.

Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake l SimplyScratch.com

Slice and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake l SimplyScratch.com

And forks. I guess.

Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake l SimplyScratch.com

I love love love this gingered pear brown butter upside down cake. It’s so fancy and yet so simple. The gingered pears and caramel alone I could eat with a spoon, but the brown butter cake… it’s so moist and perfect. And no frosting necessary! #bonus

cookies-300x250

I hope you feel inspired to bake with REAL butter this holiday season and turn out some amazing treats. Oh and if you do please send me a batch or seven of whatever you’re making, please and thank you kindly.

{For more recipes pop on over to the Go Bold with Butter and the UDIM website and you can also follow them on Pinterest!)

Enjoy! And if you give this Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake l SimplyScratch.com

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance! 

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Yield: 8 slices

Gingered Pear Brown Butter Upside Down Cake

Sliced pears are sprinkled with crystallized ginger, then topped with a bourbon caramel and if that wasn't decadent enough... I top all that with a brown butter cake batter and baked it.

Ingredients

  • 2 semi-firm Bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
  • 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoon bourbon, or water
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 2 large eggs
  • cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk

Instructions 

MAKE THE PEARS:

  • Preheat your oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
  • Fan out as many pear slices in the bottom of the cake pan and sprinkle with the chopped crystallized ginger.
  • In a medium skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Keep stirring until the milk solids bubble up and eventually turn a golden brown. Pour the browned butter in a small bowl, use a spatula to get it all out and set inside another bowl filled with ice to cool it down. Pop it into your freezer for 15-20 minutes until it thickens back up.
  • Meanwhile, wipe out what brown butter is left in the skillet and melt 4 more tablespoons of butter along with the tablespoon of bourbon, light brown sugar and a pinch of kosher salt over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and the butter/bourbon/brown sugar mixture is bubbly and has slightly thickened. Pour the bourbon caramel over the pears.

MAKE THE CAKE:

  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, kosher salt and nutmeg and set aside.
  • In the bowl of you electric mixer add the remaining four tablespoons of butter, the four tablespoons of solidified browned butter, the caviar from one vanilla bean and the 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix on medium-low speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
  • Reduce the speed to low and add in one egg at a time, mix until each egg is incorporated.
  • Alternate between the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, mixing until just combined.
  • Spoon the cake batter over top of the caramel covered pears and spread evenly.
  • Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with only a few crumbs attached when inserted into the center of the cake.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes before running a knife along the edge of the cake and inverting it onto a clean cake stand or platter. Let cake cool for 30 minutes or so before slicing and serving.
  • I like mine dusted with powdered sugar. Yum!
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 386kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 94mg, Sodium: 380mg, Potassium: 141mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 644IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 2mg

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I have been compensated by UDIM to develop recipes for the Go Bold with Butter campaign. But as you all know… my opinions are my own and I love butter.