Pear Upside Down Cake Recipe
Ingredients
| 1 tablespoon butter, softened, plus 14 tablespoons butter, melted | ||
| Light brown sugar | 1 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| 3 medium-sized firm ripe pears | ||
| Unsifted flour | 2 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Baking soda | 1 1/2 Teaspoon | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Ground ginger | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Ground cloves | 1/4 Teaspoon | |
| Salt | 1 Teaspoon | |
| 1/2 cup dark molasses | ||
| Honey | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Hot water | 3/4 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Egg | 1 | |
| Sugar | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) | |
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°.
With a pastry brush, spread the tablespoon of softened butter evenly on the sides of a 9-inch springform cake pan.
Then stir 6 tablespoons of the melted butter and the brown sugar to-gether and pat the mixture smoothly over the bottom of the pan.
Peel the pears with a small sharp knife and cut them in half length-wise.
Scoop out the cores with a small spoon.
Then arrange the pear halves in one layer in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet and add enough water to cover them by 1 inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the pears show only slight resistance when pierced with the point of a sharp knife.
With a slotted spoon arrange the pears, cored side down, on a wire rack to drain.
To flatten each pear, cut a round slice about 1/4 inch thick off the curved side of each half.
Place one of the round slices, cut side down, in the center of the sugar-coated pan.
Arrange the trimmed halves, core side up, around the round slice so that their stem ends face the cen-ter and the pears radiate from it like the spokes of a wheel.
Chop the re-maining round slices of pear coarsely and set them aside.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt, and sift them together into a bowl.
Combine the molasses, honey and hot water in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly.
In a deep bowl, beat the egg and sugar with a large spoon or a wire whisk.
Stir in the remaining 8 tablespoons of melted butter.
Add about 1 cup of the flour mixture and, when it is thoroughly incorporated, beat in about 1/2 cup of the molasses-and-honey mixture.
Repeat twice, alter-nating 1 cup of the flour mixture with 1/2 cup of the molasses-and-honey mixture, and beating well after each addition.
Gently stir in the reserved chopped pears and dribble the batter slowly into the pear-lined pan.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the top-ping is golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.
To unmold and serve the cake, place an inverted serving plate over the top of the pan.
Grasping plate and pan together firmly, turn them over.
Rap the plate on a table and the cake should slide out easily.
Remove the sides of the pan and serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
With a pastry brush, spread the tablespoon of softened butter evenly on the sides of a 9-inch springform cake pan.
Then stir 6 tablespoons of the melted butter and the brown sugar to-gether and pat the mixture smoothly over the bottom of the pan.
Peel the pears with a small sharp knife and cut them in half length-wise.
Scoop out the cores with a small spoon.
Then arrange the pear halves in one layer in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet and add enough water to cover them by 1 inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the pears show only slight resistance when pierced with the point of a sharp knife.
With a slotted spoon arrange the pears, cored side down, on a wire rack to drain.
To flatten each pear, cut a round slice about 1/4 inch thick off the curved side of each half.
Place one of the round slices, cut side down, in the center of the sugar-coated pan.
Arrange the trimmed halves, core side up, around the round slice so that their stem ends face the cen-ter and the pears radiate from it like the spokes of a wheel.
Chop the re-maining round slices of pear coarsely and set them aside.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt, and sift them together into a bowl.
Combine the molasses, honey and hot water in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly.
In a deep bowl, beat the egg and sugar with a large spoon or a wire whisk.
Stir in the remaining 8 tablespoons of melted butter.
Add about 1 cup of the flour mixture and, when it is thoroughly incorporated, beat in about 1/2 cup of the molasses-and-honey mixture.
Repeat twice, alter-nating 1 cup of the flour mixture with 1/2 cup of the molasses-and-honey mixture, and beating well after each addition.
Gently stir in the reserved chopped pears and dribble the batter slowly into the pear-lined pan.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the top-ping is golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.
To unmold and serve the cake, place an inverted serving plate over the top of the pan.
Grasping plate and pan together firmly, turn them over.
Rap the plate on a table and the cake should slide out easily.
Remove the sides of the pan and serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
Chef
