Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and zest. Add the butter to the egg mixture. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions. Fold in raspberries.
Gently spoon the cake batter over the caramelized pears. Gently spread the batter over the pear, so that is covers the pears, but is not pushed down between the pears.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool for a couple of minutes before running a knife around the pan and inverting onto a serving plate. Add fresh raspberries to the top. Serve warm or at room temperature. With or without ice cream.