Chai Brown Butter Pear Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

Pear crown

• 1 tsp softened butter, for the pan
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ⅓ cup (65 g) brown sugar
• 2 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Spiced cake

• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves

Equipment

9-inch round cake pan, saucepan, mixing bowls

Allergens and ingredient notes: Wheat, milk, egg.

Step by step

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the pan with the 1 tsp butter and line its base with parchment. Stir the separate melted 2 tbsp butter and brown sugar together, spread over the lined base, and arrange all pear slices in overlapping layers.
2. Brown the cake butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling, until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty. Transfer immediately to a mixing bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk granulated sugar into the browned butter, then add eggs, vanilla, and yogurt. Separately whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. Fold dry ingredients into wet just until smooth.
4. Spread batter gently over the pears. Bake 35–45 minutes until the cake springs back and a skewer inserted into the cake portion comes out clean, avoiding the fruit layer.
5. Rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen the sides with a thin knife, place a serving plate over the pan, and carefully invert using oven mitts. Lift the pan and remove parchment; replace any pear slices that stick. Serve in eight slices.

The Devotti twist: Browned butter reinforces the chai spices, while an inverted pear layer gives the cake its own glossy finish.

Make ahead and storage

Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days; let slices stand 15 minutes before serving.

Image: AI-generated recipe illustration; homemade results and presentation will vary.