Earl Grey Upside Down Pear Cake

Place the tea bags in a heat-proof measuring cup. Pour in the boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour the tea into a large skillet.

Pour the sugar into the skillet and add the vanilla bean, salt, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the pears to the skillet cut-side-up and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Flip the pears and simmer for another 10. Transfer the pears to a small baking sheet and transfer to the fridge. Chill for 30 minutes.

Bring the poaching liquid to a boil and continue to cook until it reaches 225°F on a candy thermometer. Pour into a heatproof container and set aside to cool. (see notes)

Note 1: Feel free to poach the pears and make the syrup up to 3 days before making the cake. Allow the syrup to come back up to room temperature before assembling.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10” cake pan that is 3” deep. Line the bottom of the pan with greased parchment paper and set aside.

Sift the almond flour and flour into a medium-sized bowl. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cardamom. Whisk to combine.

Place the sugar in a large bowl. Add the oil and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs individually and fold in the orange zest. Fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet. Repeat with the remaining half.

Arrange the chilled pears cut side down on the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Pour the cake batter on top and smooth the surface.

Bake on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes or until the top of the cake is set and golden. Transfer it to a cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the cake and inverting it onto a platter.

Let cool completely before brushing with the Earl Grey syrup and sprinkling with the Fleur de sel. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.