Sticky Upside-Down Gingerbread Cake with Pear, Pecan & Pastry
This festive dessert marries the elegance of pear tart tatin, the indulgence of pecan pie, and the warmth of gingerbread. Caramelised pears and pecans sit under a glossy gingerbread sponge with a buttery shortcrust pastry base. Once flipped, you reveal a stunning sticky topping – it's the perfect Christmas centrepiece.
Takes 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the pastry base
- 1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry plant-based
For the caramel topping
- 75 g ⅓ cup caster sugar or brown sugar
- 50 g 3½ tbsp plant-based butter
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 ripe pears
- 75 g ¾ cup pecans
For the gingerbread cake filling
- 150 g 1¼ cups self-raising flour
- 75 g ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- 80 ml ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 100 ml ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp plant milk
- 75 g ¼ cup molasses or black treacle
- 50 ml 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 20 g 1½ tbsp fresh ginger,
- 1 tbsp ground flax
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare tin: Preheat the oven to 180C (360F), fan setting. Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) round springform tin or ovenproof pan with baking parchment.
- Prepare pears, ginger and flax egg: Finely grate ginger and make your flax egg by adding 1 tbsp of ground flax to 3 tbsp of water and leave to thicken for 5 mins. Core the pears, cut in half and slice into thin slices
- Make the caramel topping: Add the sugar to a saucepan along with 2 tbsp water (this helps prevent crystallisation). Heat over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves and starts to turn a light golden colour. Reduce the heat, then whisk in the butter until smooth and slightly thickened. Immediately pour into the prepared tin and tilt to cover the base evenly.
- Arrange pecans and then the pears: Neatly arrange the pecans and then the pear wedges in a circle over the caramel. This will form the sticky, glossy top once flipped.
- Prepare gingerbread batter:
- In a large bowl, sift together 150g flour, 75g sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp allspice, and ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda.
- In another bowl, whisk together 80ml oil, 100ml plant milk, 75g molasses, 50ml maple syrup, 20g fresh ginger finely grated, and the flax egg.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix until smooth and glossy (don’t overmix).
- Assemble with pastry base: Pour the gingerbread batter evenly over the pears and pecans. Roll out the shortcrust pastry sheet, cut to slightly larger than the tin, and gently place it over the batter. Trim edges and tuck in slightly. Pierce the pastry in a few places with a fork to allow steam to escape.
- Bake: Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and a skewer inserted through the cake comes out clean.
- Cool and flip: Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, place a large serving plate over the tin, and flip in one confident motion to reveal the caramelised pears and pecans on top.
- Glaze and serve: Brush with a little extra warmed maple syrup for shine. Slice and serve warm with vegan custard or cream of choice.
