Honey Glazed Pear Up Side Down Cake Nytimes Food

HONEY-GLAZED PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet (not nonstick), simmer honey until it begins to reduce, caramelize and darken in color, 6 to 10 minutes. Do not let honey burn; if it starts to smell burned, turn off heat.
• Arrange pears, close together and cut-side up, in a circular pattern in skillet, stem ends pointing toward center. Simmer over medium heat, turning them from one cut side to the other, until they begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.
• Flip pears over to cut-side down and scatter with thyme sprigs if using. Transfer skillet to oven and roast, uncovered, until very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour and salt; stir in 1/2 cup butter.
• When pears are soft, remove skillet from oven, discard thyme sprigs and brush edges of pears with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Pour batter on roasted pears and scatter almonds over batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool for 30 minutes in pan. Run an offset spatula along edges of pan to loosen cake; carefully invert cake onto a serving platter. Serve warm or cooled.

FRESH-FIG CAKE WITH HONEY CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch cake pan (or two 9-inch pans), and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, baking soda and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, whisk to combine sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Whisk in oil and buttermilk or yogurt to combine.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold dry ingredients into egg mixture just until combined. Fold in figs, jam and pecans.
• Scrape into prepared cake pan and bake until browned and springy to the touch, about 65 to 75 minutes (or 35 to 45 minutes for the 9-inch pans). If the top gets too dark before the cake is finished baking, cover it with foil. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• While cake is cooling, make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese and salt on low speed until smooth. Beat in honey and vanilla, then beat in confectioners' sugar.
• To assemble the cake, remove cooled cake from pan and peel off parchment paper. Slice cake in half horizontally, so you end up with 2 layers. (You don't need to do this for the 9-inch cakes.) Spread half the frosting between the layers, sandwiching it. Dollop remaining frosting in a thick layer on top of the cake, leaving a 1-inch border on the top of the cake, the sides, bare. Chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, top with sliced figs.

HONEY-GLAZED PEAR-UP-SIDE-DOWN CAKE - NYTIMES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet (not nonstick), simmer honey until it begins to caramelize and darken in colour, do not let honey burn; if it starts to smell burned, turn off heat.
• Arrange pears, close together and cut-side down, in a circular pattern in skillet, stem ends pointing toward center. Simmer over medium heat, turning them from one side to the other until they turn golden, about 10 minutes.
• Flip pears over their curved side and scatter with thyme sprigs if using. Transfer skillet to oven and roast, uncovered, until very tender, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, fold in flour and salt, stir in 1/2 cup of butter.
• When pears are soft, remove skillet from oven, discard thyme sprigs and brush edges of pears with the remaining 1 tbsp of butter. Pour batter over pears, spread almonds over batter and bake for about 25-30 minutes until done. Let cake cool for 30 minutes in the skillet before running an offset spatula or a thin sparing knife along edge of pan to loosen cake. Carefully invert cake into a platter. Serve warm or cooled.

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside. Toss pears with lemon juice; set aside.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add pears, cut side down, in a single layer. Cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Transfer to a plate.
• To the same saute pan, add the Poire William, and sprinkle with the rest of the granulated sugar. Cook until reduced to a syrup, about 1 minute. Pour into cake pan, coating the bottom. Place pears in pan, cut side down, arranging in a single layer (there may be a few leftover slices).
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar, and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, and continue beating to combine. Add molasses and fresh ginger. Gradually add flour mixture. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and boiling water, beating with a fork. Add to the batter, and mix well.
• Pour batter into cake pan over the pears. Bake for 25 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes, until cake springs back when touched in the center. Remove from oven. Cool for 1 hour, then invert onto serving plate. Serve with rum-raisin ice cream or rum-spiked whipped cream.

MAPLE PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top.
• With a handheld or standing mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GINGER-APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the rim of a 10-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and then place it in the pan. Set the pan over very low heat and melt the butter across the bottom of the pan. Add the brown sugar and distribute evenly.
• Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the brown sugar. Chop any remaining slices and place them in the gaps.
• Using a mixer, blend 1/2 cup of the butter and the sugar on medium-low speed. Increase the speed to high and cream until light and fluffy.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Alternate mixing the flour and molasses mixtures into the butter mixture, adding the next once the last has been incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a platter. Serve warm or cool with very softly whipped cream.