Pear Cranberry Upside Down Cake

By DeBruynC1

Ingredients

• 8tablespoons8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/4 cup for the pear cranberry mixture
• 1 1/4cups1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2cup1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2teaspoons2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4teaspoons1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2teaspoon1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1cup1 cup sugar
• 1/2cup1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2large2 large eggs, whisked
• 22 ripe pears, peeled & cut into 8 wedges each
• 1cup1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1cup1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4cup1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1teaspoon1 teaspoon vanilla

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from blog.kitchenaid.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9″ round baking pan (a 9×12 pan works, too) with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Melt 1/4 cup butter and stir in the 1/4 cup brown sugar until blended. Spread over parchment paper.
3. In a pan of boiling water, boil 1 cup of cranberries for 3-5 minutes until they begin to pop. Drain and set aside.
4. Peel and slice the pears, arranging the slices on top of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the top with the drained cranberries.
5. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine using a KitchenAid® Stand Mixer.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading on top of the pears and cranberries. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven; transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, using a KitchenAid® Hand Mixer, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until creamy and thick, adding in the brown sugar and vanilla. Set aside.
8. Run a knife blade around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Lightly tap the bottom of the pan to loosen the cake, then lift the pan.
9. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature, and top with whipped cream right before serving, if desired.