How to make spiced caramelized pear upside-down cake

Most people think of using their slow cooker to make hearty soups and long-simmered stews in their slow cooker, but it’s a great tool for making desserts as well. I especially love making upside down cakes in my slow cooker because the long, slow cook really caramelizes the fruit topping beautifully. Still, like most slow cooker recipes, once you put the ingredients together in the pot, you don’t have to do a thing until it’s finished cooking.

I prefer to use a round slow cooker for this cake for aesthetic reasons, but you can certainly use an oval one if that's what you have. Arguably the hardest part of making this cake is inverting it out of the slow cooker insert onto a serving platter, but the stunning look of the caramelized pear topping is worth it.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients
For the caramelized pear topping
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 pound (about 2 medium) ripe pears, cored and cut into wedges

For the cake
1 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
1. To make the caramelized pear topping, put the melted butter in the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker and swirl it around while tilting the insert so that the butter coats about 3 inches up the sides of the insert. Place the insert into the cooker and add the brown sugar. Stir to mix well and then spread the mixture out into an even layer. Add the pears, arranging them in a decorative pattern with the tips of the wedges pointing into the middle of the pot. You can slightly overlap the pear slices if necessary, but you may not need all of the pear slices to cover the bottom of the pot.

2. To make the cake batter, cream the brown sugar and butter together in an electric mixer until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix just until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Pour the batter over the pears in the slow cooker insert, using a silicone spatula to scrape the batter from the bowl into the pot and smooth it out into an even layer. Lay several layers of paper towels over the top of the slow cooker insert and place the lid on top to hold them in place. Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

3. Remove the lid and transfer the insert to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Run a knife around the outside edge of the cake to loosen it, then carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Pro tip: Slow cooker upside down cakes are easy to make and always impress guests. You can make them any time of the year using seasonal produce. In the summer, I love to use peaches or nectarines. In the fall, instead of pears, you could use either Fuyu persimmons or apples. Strawberries are a fun springtime choice. And if there isn’t any great fruit in your market during a given time of year, don’t fret! Canned pineapple rings work fantastically. Just be sure to choose the type canned in its own juice, without any added sugar. Adding maraschino cherries to the centers of the rings is entirely optional.

Pro tip: You can use a liner for easy clean up. You'll want to let the cake fully cool before removing the liner.