Light and fluffy pancake with cardamom spiced caramel and crispy sweet pears, this Upside-Down Pear Pancake with Cardamom Caramel is sure to please! Get ready to impress your family or brunch guests with this stunner. It is easy to make and it LOOKS fancy. Win, win! With just a few ingredients, including a box of high-quality pancake mix and a smidge of creativity, you’ll have a sweet morning treat everyone is sure to love. Sweet cardamom caramel and perfectly ripe and crisp pears are a match made in heaven.
The inspiration and the grocery list.
Most of the recipes you’ll find here come together by chance. For example, I often grab random pantry and fridge ingredients, place them on the counter and say “what can I do with these?”. Luckily for you, I’ve done the pondering and the testing and you get to work with the finished product! I was overflowing with pears and researched flavor pairings to know how to best use the ingredient. Turns out, cardamom and caramel are the ideal! No pondering necessary for you, just a ready made list of what you’ll need below!
- maple syrup — Cannot wait to get my hands on fresh VT maple syrup at the Farmer’s Market this summer. In short, nothing is better than dark auburn maple syrup from Vermont.
- coconut cream — Be sure to check your labels when shopping for this particular ingredient. Here is the main difference between coconut cream and coconut milk: coconut cream is just the fat and protein that often settles on top of a can of coconut milk. Of course, if you have a hard time finding Coconut Cream in the store, buy full-fat coconut milk but discard of the liquid at the bottom of the can (or save it for another use!).
- vanilla — just a touch is all you need!
- cardamom — spicy-sweet and aromatic. cardamom is an intense, slightly sweet spice that instantly brings warmth and sweetness to any recipe
- D’anjou pears, sliced — these green D’anjou pear are the perfect pear for this recipe. They are subtly-sweet and firm in texture.
- eggs
- coconut oil, melted
- simple mills pancake & waffle mix — I always keep a box or two of high-quality pre-mix boxes like this in the pantry. For times that you’re in a pinch or for times like these, this pre-mix makes quick work out of a delicious recipe!
Upside-Down Pear Pancake with Cardamom Caramel.. the steps.
The presentation of this upside-down pancake is super fancy. However, the recipe itself takes little finesse. Let me break it down for you.
The caramel.
First, you make a quick caramel with maple syrup and coconut cream. Keep a close eye on this to make sure you don’t burn it. The maple syrup and the coconut cream will start to bubble and darken and thicken up. Once it becomes a nice thick consistency, that’s when you know it’s done. After that, remove the caramel from the heat, add the vanilla and cardamom and stir until well combined.
The pear design.
Second, design the show-stopper pear base by laying the pears into the caramel. Get creative with your cuts to try to fill the entire bottom of the skillet with pears. Covering the bottom of the skillet with the sliced pears ensures each bite is filled with caramel pear bits.
The pancake mix.
Next, mix the remaining ingredients per the box instructions for the pancake mix. Having this pancake mix is a great shortcut as it eliminates measuring out a handful of other ingredients. With 7 simple ingredients and nothing artificial you can know you’re serving up the very best for your family. We always keep a stash of these Simple Mills Almond Flour Pancake Mix & Waffle Mix (Gluten Free and made with whole foods) boxes in the pantry. Once the batter is mixed, carefully pour the batter over the pears. Most importantly, pour the batter slowly, to not push the pears around once you’ve set your design.
The bake.
Now it’s time to bake the skillet until the pancake is perfectly set, letting the warm sweet smells fill the house. Once the Upside-Down Pear Pancake has finished baking, allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Above all, don’t let it cool for too long because then it won’t easily flip from the pan.
The flip.
Lastly, after a few minutes of cooling, run a knife along the ridge of the skillet and pancake. Grab a serving plate large enough to cover the entire surface of the skillet to catch the pancake and all the caramel drippings. Flip the warm pancake onto the serving plate to present the caramelized pears. Serve and enjoy!
Looking for more sweet treats?
Here are a few to try:
SHEET PAN POP TART WITH PUMPKIN BUTTER AND MAPLE BACON GLAZE
HAWAIIAN ROLL CINNYBONS W/ SWEET CREAM FROSTING
EASY CANNOLI DIP WITH WAFFLE CONES
Lastly, if you make this Upside-Down Pear Pancake with Cardamom Caramel recipe, be sure to leave a comment! Above all, I love to hear from ya’ll and do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of your dayyyummm good recreations is my favorite!
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 D’anjou pears, sliced
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 box simple mills pancake & waffle mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the maple syrup and coconut cream. Bring to a boil and continuously stir for 7-9 minutes until dark. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and cardamom and stir until combined.
- Lay the sliced pears down into the caramel. Get creative with the pattern (or don't!) but ensure the pears are in one single layer.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs, water and oil. Add the pancake mix to the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Carefully pour the batter over the caramel pears. Place the cast iron into the heated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
- Remove the cast iron from the oven and cool for 3-5 mintues.
- Use a sharp knife to run along the edge of the pancake. Place a plate over the cast iron and carefully flip the hot cast iron to release the pancake onto the plate. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information: 8 servings 350 cals / 17g F / 42g C / 7g P
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 D’anjou pears, sliced
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 box simple mills pancake & waffle mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the maple syrup and coconut cream. Bring to a boil and continuously stir for 7-9 minutes until dark. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and cardamom and stir until combined.
- Lay the sliced pears down into the caramel. Get creative with the pattern (or don't!) but ensure the pears are in one single layer.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs, water and oil. Add the pancake mix to the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Carefully pour the batter over the caramel pears. Place the cast iron into the heated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
- Remove the cast iron from the oven and cool for 3-5 mintues.
- Use a sharp knife to run along the edge of the pancake. Place a plate over the cast iron and carefully flip the hot cast iron to release the pancake onto the plate. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information: 8 servings 350 cals / 17g F / 42g C / 7g P
1 comment
My daughter and I made this recipe and it was tasty. I did add some cinnamon, a little cardamon and almond extract to the pancake mixture. My skillet must have been too large because I feel the sauce should have been doubled. I purchased Birchbender’s pancake mix and had to double the water also. Maybe the Simple Mills brand was a smaller package size. All in all we enjoyed it.