Pear Upside-Down Bundt Cake Recipe (2024)

Our Pear Upside-Down Bundt Cake Recipe is a lovely way to celebrate the holidays this year! We can’t say enough about this beautifully delightful cake. Fresh pears with a moist, rich crumb that boasts a hint of orange. The holidays will be even more memorable when you serve our pear up-side down bundt cake for dessert. To make our Pear Up-side Down Cake even more stately, we garnished with fresh cranberries and a sprinkling of decorative sugar, adding the sparkling festive appearance! Happiest of holidays to you and yours AND a very memorable season of joyful eating! Bon Appetite!

Ingredients for our Pear Upside-Down Bundt Cake Recipe

• Pastry Flour- What is pastry flour? Pastry flour is a low-protein flour that’s designed to produce lighter, more tender pastries and baked goods than all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour typically has a protein content around 11 percent. In contrast, cake flour’s protein content is around 7-8 percent. It makes a difference in baking and I recommend it 100% but with that being said, will your baked goods be THAT much different if you use all-purpose flour? Yes, and yes, they will still turn out okay with all-purpose flour, just not AS good as if pastry flour is used.
• Granulated Sugar- Granulated sugar is also sometimes known as white sugar, or “regular” sugar. Granulated sugar has had all of the naturally present molasses refined out of it. The fine crystals in granulated sugar don’t cake together, which makes it perfect for measuring, sprinkling onto food, and dissolving into drinks.
• Butter- I can’t emphasis enough the importance of bringing your butter and eggs to room temperature. It’s the foundation of building a creamy, smooth dough. If I have enough time before baking, I will set butter out on the counter to reach room temperature. If I’m running tight on time, then I will place my butter in the microwave for 5-10 seconds but BE CAREFUL not to melt it… at all! It’s better for the butter to be a little stiff, than even a tiny bit melted. The friction of the beaters as it mixes will warm it the rest of the way. Just cream/mix it a little longer, if needed, to get that creamy-smooth and fluffy consistency we are looking for.
• Eggs- I place my eggs in a small bowl of very warm water while I’m gathering all the other ingredients and prepping to bake. Then, when I’m ready to add them into the batter, they have reached the perfect temperature! Add your eggs one at a time and cream for 2 minutes, then scape the bowl down using a rubber spatula, and add the next egg. This is the best way to be sure the eggs are incorporated evenly into the batter. Beating each egg individually is essential because eggs act as a leavener which brings the loft (height) into your baked goods.
• Liquids- This recipe has orange juice and vanilla which both add flavor and moisture to our lovely cake.

Instructions for our Pear Upside-Down Bundt Cake Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine the 6 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl, heat until butter is melted; stir until well combined.
3. Evenly spread into bottom of prepared pan, arrange pear slices evenly around bundt pan with thick end of pear at bottom of pan- standing vertical in brown sugar mixture; set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the pastry flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
5. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
6. Add granulated sugar; mix 3 minutes, then add egg; mix 2 minutes.
7. Add vanilla and alternately add the flour mixture and Simply Orange Juice, beating on low speed after each addition, just until combined. (DO NOT over mix!)
8. Spread batter evenly around the pears in the bundt pan.

1. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
2. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10-12 minutes. Tap sides of pan; invert onto a large serving plate.
3. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes more.
4. Serve warm garnished with fresh cranberries and decorative sugar. Enjoy!

Fall in love with some of these other holiday inspired desserts, too:

• Cinnamon Rolls with Eggnog Frosting
• Candy Cane Fudge
• Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
• Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Peppermint Hot Cocoa Krispie Treats
• Festive Ginger Snap Cookies
• I love Eggnog Cookies
• Gingerbread Popcorn

A few helpful tips for baking at higher elevations:

If you live 3,000 feet above sea level or more it is considered high elevation and may take longer to cook/bake.

• Adjustments are needed for 5000+ feet and above:

• Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon, decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.

• Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 2 tablespoons.

• Increase liquid: for each cup, add 2 to 4 tablespoons.

• Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

• Check if it is done a little early.

• This takes some trial and error to get it right for you.

Learn more HERE

Wow all your family and friends with our Pear Upside-Down Bundt Cake Recipe this year!

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Love Always,

Ruthie & Madeliene