2ripe but firm Bosc or Bartlett pears, peeled, halved and cored
½cupwalnuts,toasted and chopped (sprinkle over top of arranged pear slices)
For the spice mixture (½ for pears, ½ for cake)
2teaspoonground cinnamon
1teaspoonground cardamom
¼teaspoonground allspice
¼teaspoonground cloves
For the buttermilk walnut cake
1cupunsalted butter,softened
1 ¼cupgranulated sugar
2cupsall-purpose flour
½cupwalnuts,toasted and finely ground
1teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonkosher salt
3largeeggs,room temperature
2 teaspoonspure vanilla extract
¾cupbuttermilk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F and generously grease a 9-by-3 inch round cake pan. (Note: You want a deep 3” cake pan because this cake is quite tall)
For the spice mixture
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. We will use half of the mixture for the pears and half of the mixture for the cake.
For the walnut pear caramel topping
Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over the stove. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, honey, and melted butter and mix until incorporated. Transfer the brown sugar mixture to the bottom of a 9-by-3 inch cake pan and set aside.
Peel and core the pears. Cut in half and then cut each half into quarters. In a bowl, toss the pears with half of the spice mixture. Transfer the pear slices to the cake pan and arrange the pears into a spiral shape around the perimeter of the cake pan.
Toast 1 cup of the walnuts in a saute pan over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes. Roughly chop ½ cup of walnuts and sprinkle over the top of the pear and caramel topping. Continue chopping the remaining ½ cup until it resembles the size of coarse sand.
For the buttermilk walnut pear upside-down cake
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground walnuts and the remaining spice mixture together. Stir to make sure all ingredients are combined. In another small bowl, crack the three eggs and measure the vanilla extract.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, for 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
On low speed, add one egg at a time making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more and turn mixer back on low speed.
Next, we will follow the muffin method: dry, wet, dry, wet, dry. On low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat until almost (~85%) fully incorporated. Add ½ of the buttermilk and stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle. Turn mixer back on low speed and add another ⅓ of the dry mixture until almost fully incorporated and then add the last ½ of the buttermilk and mix until combined.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle. Then mix the remaining ⅓ of the dry mixture by hand with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated. This will ensure the cake is not overmixed and will keep the crumb tender when baked.
Pour the batter into the cake pan over the pear, walnuts, and caramel topping. Spread evenly with an offset spatula and smooth it out to make sure it is level and evenly distributed.
Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes until the cake is golden brown, the middle springs backs, and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cake sit in the pan for 5 minutes and then carefully invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let finish cooling upside down. Put any pear slices back into its place and serve with ice cream or creme fraiche.
Notes
You want to use a deep 3” cake pan because this cake is quite tall. The cake will spill over a 2" deep cake pan.