Pear Upside down Cake

I’m not really into Pineapple Upside Down Cakes.  They’ve just never appealed to me.  I think it was one of my Mom’s favorite, and I remember it being served often when I was a kid.  That, and a Cherry Nut Cake (Yummy), that was my Dad’s favorite cake.

I came across a Pear Upside down Cake, and it looked delicious!  Pears are one of my favorite fruits.  This cake is moist, chocolaty, and the caramel puts it over the top! If you like pears, give this one a try.

Upside-Down Pear Chocolate Cake
Slightly adapted From: Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More

Makes One 9-inch Cake

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for pan

Fruit Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Water
3 firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, and each cut into 12 slices

Cake:
¼ cup unsalted butter
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup Buttermilk milk

Directions:

1. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan. (Do not use a spring-form pan, the caramel will seep out.)
2. To make the fruit topping, put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan (one with a tight-fitting lid) and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. (This way allows the steam to wash down the sides of the pan, which will prevent any sugar crystals from forming.)
3. Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil the sugar, gently and slowly swirling the pan as needed to cook the caramel evenly, until it becomes a dark amber color, about 13 to 15 minutes. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
4. Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow it to harden. Fan the pear slices on top of the caramel in a circle around the perimeter, filling in the center with the remaining slices.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. To make the cake, place the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt, stirring occasionally.
7. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl, set aside. Transfer the melted chocolate to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar.
8. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
9. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake bounces back slightly when touched. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate, leaving the pan on top of the cake for 5 minutes before you remove it. Serve the cake warm, topped with a small dollop of Chantilly cream or a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. This taste great as is too!

Storage: Wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. (If it lasts that long!!)