Easy Pear Upside Down Yogurt Cake

Felicity Vincent
Sep 26, 2024
4 min read

A classic french yogurt cake with an Autumn twist!

A pear upside down cake made with an easy french yogurt cake recipe. It takes no more than 10 minutes to prep. Quick, easy, beautiful, light & delicious.

A slice of pear upside down yogurt cake being grabbed

This is the easiest cake you will ever make! In France, yogurt cake is the first think we are taught to make, it uses a yogurt pot as a measurement and all ingredients are added in one step and mixed in one bowl. Easy, moist, fluffy and I've turned it into an upside down pear cake for a beautiful autumn twist.

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Ingredients:

My pear upside down yogurt cake recipe:

1 yogurt (125mL - 150mL)
1 yogurt pot of caster sugar
2 yogurt pots of self raising flour
1/2 yogurt pot of vegetable oil
3 eggs
pinch of salt
2 pears
2 Tbs brown sugar
10g butter

Method:

How to make my pear upside down yogurt cake:

Preheat the oven at 180°C.
Core the pears and slice into thin wedges.
Empty the yogurt into a large mixing bowl. Use the empty pot to measure out the remaining ingredients (white sugar, flour and oil). Crack the 3 eggs into the bowl and add a pinch of salt.
Beat all the ingredients together until the mix is homogenous.
Line an oiled cake tin with baking parchment. Sprinkle 2 Tbs of brown sugar at the bottom and disperse the butter in small chunks.
Lay the pears out on the bottom of the tin. Top with the cake mix.
Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick (or spaghetti) comes out clean. The bake time will depend on the depth of the tin you have chosen.
Leave to cool for 2 minutes then transfer onto a wire rack to cool down.

More about this pear upside down cake recipe:

Shortcuts:

Use tinned pears if out of season/remove any chopping needs.
Swap the vegetable oil for EVOO if you want a bit more flavour.

Keys to success:

The key is not over mixing the batter, better have a few lumps then work the flour too much.
I've tried this with all types of yogurt, it always works. Whether it's strained, natural, flavoured you go for it. The flavour of the yogurt will come through in the final cake so you can play it safe with plain, vanilla, honey or go wild with a raspberry!
You can also add extra flavour to the cake mix such as a few Tbs of cocoa powder, a tsp of cinnamon or diced stem ginger.

Health benefits of pears:

They're a good source of:

manganese which enables us to release energy from food and supports cell health;
vitamin B7 (biotin) which supports cell health and is needed to transform food into energy;
soluble fibre which helps lower blood cholesterol, and slows the release of energy from food. It also helps bulk stools with water and serves as a prebiotic, meaning it feeds our gut bacteria for a healthy microbiome.
insoluble fibre - helps to make you feel full, and soften stools for better digestive health. It is also associated with phenolic compounds and therefore antioxidant properties.

Pears contain many other beneficial active compounds, most notably antioxidant pigments such as anthocyanins, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, and polyphenols such as arbutin, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid and syringic acid. But all these will definitely vary dependent on the pear variety! For instance a red blushed pear will have more anthocyanins than a green one.

Beta carotene is an excellent free radical scavenger, playing a part in protecting body and cells from age-related diseases.
Lutein - has been proven to support eye health. It may slow down the affects of age-related vision loss and cataracts. Its anti-inflammatory properties may also support cognitive function and a decreased risk of cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Zeaxanthin - also acts as an antioxidant in our eye's retina, preventing macular degeneration. Helps prevent cancer like all other antioxidants but also protects your eyes from ageing, protects your skin from UV, and some research indicates it may be beneficial to cognitive function.
Gallic acid - an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties which has also been shown to support heart health.
Chlorogenic acid - an antioxidant which therefore scavenges free radicals, reducing oxidative stress, reducing the risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases and physical signs of ageing. Chlorogenic acid also has strong anti-inflammatory properties which contribute to brain and heart health. Early studies show promising affects on type 2 diabetes symptoms and preventing strokes.
Syringic acid is a free radical scavenger and therefore has antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties, it also reduces inflammation.
Sorbitol - which gives pear some of its sweet taste. This sugar alcohol has a low GI and is not absorbed in the small intestine, therefore it can reach the large intestine to feed some of our gut bacteria which in turn supports body function and mental health. It also has some laxative effect and therefore should not be consumed excessively.