Upside-down Pear Crumble Cake (Dairy & Gluten Free)

I wanted to create a fruit crumble cake for the season—something autumnal and stodgy. However, I’ve found that upright crumble cakes often have issues: the fruit sinks, the crumble catches, or the sponge turns out dry. So, I decided to try something unconventional: baking the cake upside down. I expected the crumble to turn to mush, but I was pleasantly surprised—it held its shape and stayed crumbly. I tweaked my gluten-free cake base to make it dairy-free as well. Pears felt like the right choice—they’re underrated (relatable) and available tinned, so ripeness isn’t a concern. The crumble is slightly sweet and oaty, while the cake is spiced and moist. If you can’t tolerate gluten-free oats, try chopped almond flakes for extra crunch.

Upside-down Pear Crumble Cake (Dairy & Gluten Free)
Upside-down Pear Crumble Cake (Dairy & Gluten Free)

Serves 10-12

Hands-on Time 30 minutes (plus cooling)

Baking Time 50 minutes

Print friendly version

Ingredients

  • 250g ground almonds (divided)

  • 50g cornflour (divided)

  • 2 tsp mixed spice (divided)

  • 50g margarine (or dairy-free spread, plus extra for greasing)

  • 20g demerara sugar (plus 1 tbsp for topping)

  • 35g oats (gluten-free)

  • 1 large tin pear halves in fruit juice (approx. 430g undrained)

  • 65g soft light brown sugar

  • 50g caster sugar

  • 3 medium eggs (separated)

  • 1 tsp ground cardamom

  • 2 pinches fine salt

Equipment

  • Small bowl

  • Fork

  • Scissors

  • Baking parchment

  • 20cm fixed or push-bottom cake tin

  • Kitchen paper

  • Knife

  • 2 mixing bowls

  • Electric whisk

  • Spatula

  • Serving plate

Method

1. Make the crumble topping

  • In a small bowl, combine 125g ground almonds, 35g cornflour, and 1 tsp mixed spice.

  • Add small dollops of margarine and mix with a fork until crumbly.

  • Stir in 20g demerara sugar and the oats. Set aside.

2. Prepare the cake tin

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3.

  • Cut a circle of baking parchment to fit the base of the cake tin.

  • Grease the tin with margarine and line with the parchment.

3. Prepare the pears

  • Drain the pear halves, reserving the juice for another use.

  • Pat the pears dry with kitchen paper. Reserve 2 pear halves and chop the rest into small pieces.

4. Make the cake batter

  • Separate the eggs into two mixing bowls.

  • Add the chopped pears and soft light brown sugar to the egg yolks. Beat with an electric whisk on low, then high speed for 1 minute.

  • Clean the beaters and whisk the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form.

  • To the egg yolk mixture, add the remaining 125g ground almonds, 15g cornflour, 1 tsp mixed spice, ground cardamom, and a pinch of salt. Mix with a spatula.

  • Fold in the egg whites in two batches until no streaks remain.

5. Assemble the cake

  • Sprinkle 1 tbsp demerara sugar over the base of the lined tin.

  • Add half the crumble mixture, then arrange thinly sliced reserved pear halves on top.

  • Sprinkle the remaining crumble over the pears.

  • Pour the cake batter over the crumble and gently tap the tin on the worktop to level.

6. Bake the cake

  • Bake on the middle shelf for 50 minutes.

  • Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment and flip so the pear side is up.

7. Serve

  • Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Upside-down Pear Crumble Cake (Dairy & Gluten Free)
Upside-down Pear Crumble Cake (Dairy & Gluten Free)