It’s a bit of a tradition in our household to make a cake on a tuesday (it is actually known as “cake tuesday”) and this week I tried an upside-down pear and almond cake and it was quite yummy. I got it from Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks by Diane Rossen Worthington. She suggests to do it in one cast iron deep pan but you can cook the pears separately and then add them to a flan or casserole dish later (I used a springform pan)

Ingredients:
1 cup almond meal
2/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp (150g) unsalted butter (room temp)
1 cup caster sugar (I used 1/2 normal and 1/2 raw caster sugar bc that’s all I had)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Pears:
2 tbsp (50g) butter
3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
2 pears, sliced thinly (1/2cm-1/2inch)

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). In one bowl, combine almonds, flour and baking powder - mix to combine and set aside. In another bowl, beat the butter until creamy and then beat in the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Gradually beat in the flour mix and the orange juice until combined and set aside.

In a deep cast iron pan (or just a normal one), melt the butter and then add the sugar and allow to dissolve on a med-high heat. Add the pears and let them caramelise for about five minutes. Be careful not to overcook the sugar! Let it cool for at least five minutes.

If your pan is deep enough and oven proof, tip the cake mix straight over the pears, otherwise first transfer the pears to the baking dish and cover with the mix. (If you are using a springform pan, make sure you wrap the base and sides with aluminium foil because the toffee liquid will leak otherwise.) Transfer to the oven and let bake for 50-60minutes, when a skewer should come out clean. Let it cool for a further 10 minutes before tipping it out, pear side up, onto a plate.

*I accidentally put in a cup of orange juice somehow… It was fine, more of a pudding texture and moistness but yummy!

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