Upside-Down Pear Crumb Cake

Juicy pears and a crisp streusel give this cake plenty of flavor and a delightful contrast of textures.

Upside-down cakes are just delicious. Their charm comes from leaving the oven fully decorated. The deliciousness relies on the fruit at the bottom. The fruit’s moisture gives the cake a tender crumb, while the chunks of fruit themselves act as an insulator, preventing your cake from forming a hard crust. And of course, whichever fruit you choose lends a lovely natural flavor. Yes, pineapple is the classic choice, but so many other fruits really do well in this type of cake, including pears!

We have some pear trees on the farm, and when they’ve finally ripened, I love harvesting all the fruit (the bears have generously left behind…) and making pear everything! For this recipe, you should use ripe pears that are just slightly firm. If they are unripe, they will not soften enough during the bake, while if they’re over-ripe, you’ll have a mushy situation coming out of the oven.