Maple-pear Upside-down Cake

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 peeled bartlett pears or 3 anjou pears, each cored and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°.
• 2 bring syrup to a boil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 2 minutes.
• 3 remove from heat; arrange pears in pan in a spokelike fashion.
• 4 place pan over medium-high heat, and cook until syrup thickens (about 4 minutes), gently shaking pan frequently.
• 5 lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
• 6 combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt); stirring well with a whisk.
• 7 place sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 2 minutes).
• 8 add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 9 stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• 10 pour batter evenly over pear mixture in prepared pan; wrap handle of skillet with foil.
• 11 bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
• 12 run a knife around outside edge.
• 13 cool in pan 5 minutes.
• 14 place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate.
• 15 serve warm.