Pear Upside-Down Cake

By sportnfood

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 medium fresh pears, peeled, halved an cored
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup full-flavored molasses
• 2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• Chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a 10-inch cast iron-or oven-going skillet melt the 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in the 1/2 cup brown sugar, stirring until sugar is no longer grainy; remove from heat. Arrange the pear halve, cut sie up, in the skillet. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup crystallized ginger; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat the 2/3 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in 1/2 cup brown sugar until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in molasses and fresh ginger. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to molasses mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spread the batter evenly over pears in the skillet.
4. Bake about 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from pan; invert onto a large serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with chopped crystallized ginger.

NOTE: If you don't have a cast-iron or oven-going skillet, prepare brown sugar-butter mixure in a small saucepan; pour into a 2-uart rectangular glass baking dish, spreading evenly. Arrange pears, cut side up, in dish. Prepare cake batter as above and pour over pears. Bake 350F oven for 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in baking dish on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen cake from dish and invert onto serving plate. Serve as above.