As usual, I have Olympic fever. I have the Olympics on almost every waking moment and am watching it exclusively in prime time. I don’t think I’ve ever watched this much coverage, even if I am often writing, blogging, or working on social media while I watch. The Olympics are like the best background noise of all time.
The Olympics are a great escape. All the stories of the athletes, most of whom have overcome so many obstacles to be at the Olympics against all the odds, are inspiring. They make me, and I hope all of you as well, want to work harder, be stronger, and never give up even when it’s hard.
While I’m always cheering for Team USA, it’s great to hear stories from other countries as well to broaden my horizons and world. It’s not just in America that we fight for our dreams and work hard and beat the odds, and the Olympics are a wonderful reminder of that.
Getting lost in the Games is so easy for me. The ice dancing had me so enthralled I didn’t even look at the score box until the end of the performance. So happy for the Shib Sibs! Their performance was absolutely captivating and it’s awesome they were rewarded.
Adam Rippon really resonated with me as well. To hear that four years ago he was eating In-N-Out and in a car accident in his parked car and broke and now he’s at the Olympics really gives me hope that my world can change too.
It’s not just ice skating and dancing that grab my attention. Skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, and yes, even curling have my attention, and they should.
There is so much bad news in the world these days and the Olympics bring positive stories, hope, and lots of victories along with some defeat. I do hope all the athletes there feel some sense of victory because to be at the games at all is really something to be proud of.
This Pear Upside Down Coffee Cake is definitely gold medal worthy. It’s everything we love about upside down cake – fruit, caramel goo – combined with everything we love about coffee cake – lots and lots of streusel, duh!
The cake itself is a simple and classic yellow cake with a large crumb texture. It lets the soft pears, crunchy nuts, and sweet streusel shine through. This one isn’t a photo finish, it’s Pear Upside Down Coffee Cake by a mile.
Pear Upside Down Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 servings 1x
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup milk (I used almond, use what you love)
Streusel
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old fashioned oatmeal
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup walnuts, toasted
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 4 ripe pears
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Butter the parchment generously.
- Make the cake batter. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. I did this by hand, but a hand or stand mixer will work too. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside.
- Make the streusel. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oatmeal, sugars, walnuts, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir in the butter until a clumpy mixture forms.
- Peel two of the pears and slice about ¼ inch thick. Place in the prepared pan making a pretty design. Be sure it is all covered, and if it is not, use some of the third pear. Sprinkle with half of the streusel, and then pour half of the batter into the pan.
- Sprinkle with the remaining streusel. Take the remaining pears, peel them, and dice them into bite sized chunks. Sprinkle over the streusel. Pour the remaining batter over and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool about 15 minutes before gently loosening the sides and inverting onto a serving platter. Serve warm or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cake may also be stored in the freezer in quarters wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave for about 1 minute.
Adam Rippon was my fave as well <3 I think you could see his passion and love for his sport in his routine, and he is charming and hilarious in interviews. I think we all get a sense of hope and optimism from watching these athletes in their prime. Just curious Laura, when you say you want your world to change, what are you goals? To get a cookbook published?
Hi Serena! While I am open to publishing a cookbook, I write novels and screenplays. I have actually received a lot of positive feedback and have come so close to landing an agent, but I just can’t seem to be able to make it happen. I don’t write about the process a lot on the blog because it’s difficult, frustrating, and much of the same over and over, but one of my upcoming posts (mid March) will detail some of my successes and failures as of late.
I have just been glued to the TV for all the Olympic events. I will be sorry tomorrow when it is finished and have to wait another two years for the next summer and four years for the next winter games. I would love to be eating this pear upside down coffee cake while watching more events!! My favorite may have been the snowboarding events as the US athletes were stellar and the tricks were fabulous. But I have watched the gold medal ski race by Jesse Diggins and Kirkkan Randall several times. It was so cool. Also the Curling was a favorite of mine and I watched many of the US matches. Proud of the men for winning five matches in a row for the gold!!! Yes, I will be depressed next week….. 🙁
I am definitely bummed the Olympics are over. They made February go so fast. Loved the ski race and curling too!!