Pear Maple Upside Down Cake Food

MAPLE-PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch round cake pan. Toss the pear wedges with 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large bowl; set aside. Bring 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the water and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice to a simmer in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer, without stirring, until amber, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan, tilting to coat the bottom. Let cool, then top with the pears in a circular pattern.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, sour cream and maple extract in a large liquid measuring cup and stir until smooth. Beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the maple sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat until thickened, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture in two batches. The batter may look slightly curdled; keep beating and it will smooth out.
• Pour the batter into the pan over the pears and smooth the top. Bake until the top of the cake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 20 minutes in the pan. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, then invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

MAPLE-PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bring syrup to a boil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat; arrange pears in pan in a spokelike fashion.
• Place pan over medium-high heat, and cook until syrup thickens (about 4 minutes), gently shaking pan frequently.
• Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
• Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt); stirring well with a whisk.
• Place sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 2 minutes).
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Pour batter evenly over pear mixture in prepared pan; wrap handle of skillet with foil.
• Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
• Run a knife around outside edge.
• Cool in pan 5 minutes.
• Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate.
• Serve warm.

MAPLE PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 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 the 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 the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated 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 3 batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread the 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.

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.

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch (3" high) round cake pan.
• Sprinkle with brown or maple sugar.
• Cream 5 tablespoons butter (or margarine) with brown and white sugar.
• Add maple syrup and salt.
• Spread topping mixture into prepared pan.
• Press pear slices into sugar mixture, arranging them in a spoke design.
• Set aside while preparing cake batter.
• Sift together dry ingredients (flour-cinnamon). Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream 6 tablespoons and 1 cup brown or maple sugar together until light.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
• Add sour cream, beating until smooth.
• Mix in maple syrup.
• Fold in flour mixture and then walnuts, if using.
• Pour batter into prepared pan (over pears).
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes.
• Run knife around cake and invert cake onto platter, leave pan on cake an additional 5 minutes before removing pan very carefully.
• Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream topping (recipe follows).
• To make whipped cream topping: Beat cream until soft peaks form.
• Add sugar and bourbon, if using.
• Continue beating until soft peaks form again.

MAPLE SYRUP UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Measure butter, sugar, and egg into a bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until creamy.
• Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (or nutmeg) together. Add the dry ingredients and the milk, a little at a time and alternating between the two, to the creamed butter mixture. Stir until well blended.
• Measure syrup into a small saucepan. Heat the syrup until it boils, and pour into a generously buttered 8-inch square baking pan. If using chopped walnuts, add them to the hot syrup.
• Scoop up the dough in four large balls and drop them into the hot maple syrup. Using two forks, stretch dough balls to the edges until the dough forms one large mass. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.