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–+ servings
Part cake, part pudding, this tender apple and pear upside-down cake is suffused with vanilla bean and the flavors of perfectly ripe apples and pears.
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Vanilla Bean Apple and Pear Upside-Down Cake

Part cake, part pudding, this tender apple and pear upside-down cake is suffused with vanilla bean and the flavors of perfectly ripe apples and pears. Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated. 

Makes: 8 servings
Author: Elizabeth Stark, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Ingredients
Fruit
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2- inch section of fresh vanilla bean
  • 2 fresh apples
  • 2 ripe pears
  • 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cake
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter. room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions

  1. In a large stainless steel or enamel skillet (not cast iron), gently heat 4 tablespoons butter, until bubbly and fragrant. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla beans and pod, and set aside 10 minutes or more while you prepare the fruit.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Core and cut pears into 1/2-inch thick slices. Core and cut apples into 1/4-inch slices. Remove vanilla pod from pan and gently rewarm butter. Add pears and cook over medium heat 5 or so minutes, until they just start to brown. Add apples, brown sugar, and lemon, and stir gently while sugar dissolves, cooking 1 - 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while you make cake batter.

  3. In a smallish bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, fluff room temperature butter with your beater, or a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Stir in eggs just until combined, then add sour cream and vanilla. Gradually stir in flour.

  4. Tilt pan with the fruit so that the butter coats the sides, then pour in cake batter. Bake until cake is golden and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35 - 40 minutes.
  5. Cool pan on a rack 20 minutes, then carefully invert onto wire rack and cool another 20 minutes or so before removing to a large serving plate. Serve in slices all by itself, or with barely sweetened lightly whipped cream. Wrap up over night – it makes for an excellent breakfast too.

  6. 12.30.09 Update: I made this cake again over the holiday and had remarkably different results. In the first place, I had relatively unripe pears this time and I cooked them for much longer so that they were rather overcooked by the time I added the batter. The end result was a much moister cake, bordering on a pudding. It was still really good, though. If you want a fluffier cake and fruit with bite, use just ripe fruit, and sauté for the short five minutes over medium to medium high heat (just so the butter doesn't smoke). If you want a more dense pudding-like cake, cook the fruit longer until the edges are quite soft. In both cases, remove from oven when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. It will take longer for the second cake to cook, look for it to set in the middle.