Upside Down Toffee Pear Cake Food

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Make the topping: Melt butter in the bottom of a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Swirl to coat the bottom; remove from heat, and cool. Cut pears into 1/4-inch-thick wedges, and arrange them in a circular pattern over the brown-sugar mixture to cover completely; set aside.
• Make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract; beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine.
• Alternating with the milk, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix, on low speed, just until the flour is incorporated.
• In a large bowl, beat reserved egg whites and the cream of tartar with a hand mixer until stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg whites into the batter. Transfer to skillet. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly, being careful not to disturb the pears.
• Bake until well browned on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan, and immediately invert the cake onto a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Cut out a circle of baking paper that is roughly 2cm/¾in larger than the base of a 20cm/8in springform or loose-based round cake tin. Grease the sides of the tin and place the paper circle in the base, pressing up the sides slightly. This will help hold the caramel.
• For the pears, make a caramel by melting the sugar in small, deep saucepan over a low heat until golden brown, stirring only once most of the sugar has melted. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.) Add the butter and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon very gently until melted. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rum and ginger syrup until the sauce is smooth. Leave the caramel to stand for 15-20 minutes, or until it cools enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally. Place a baking tray on the bottom of the oven to catch any caramel that leaks out of the cake tin and preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• While the caramel is cooling, peel the pears, cut into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each pear quarter into 3-4 long slices. Place the pear slices in the caramel and turn to coat. Arrange the pear slices in a fan shape in the bottom of the prepared cake tin.
• For the cake mixture, add all of the ingredients to a food processor and mix until smooth. Alternatively, place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until a smooth mixture is formed. Gently spoon the mixture over the pears and smooth the surface. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is well risen, firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
• Using oven gloves to protect your hands, carefully loosen and remove the sides of the cake tin. Place a serving plate over the cake and carefully turn over. Remove the tin base and baking paper. This needs to be done while the cake is warm otherwise the caramel will harden and the cake will be more difficult to remove.
• Slice and serve the cake warm with ice cream as a dessert or by itself as a teatime treat.

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.

PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F.
• Stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and corn syrup and evenly coat the bottom and sides of a 10 inch glass pie plate with the mixture. When the almonds are cool, arrange around the bottom rim of the pie plate, with a few in the center, pressing them into the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the pear halves like spokes of a wheel on top of the brown sugar mixture.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the pastry flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and thoroughly mix.
• In another bowl, whisk together the softened butter, sour cream, egg yolks and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer at medium speed about 1 1/2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until thick and smooth.
• Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly over the fruit, building up the outside edges so the cake will be level when baked. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool 3 to 5 minutes (no longer) and then invert onto a serving plate, repositioning the fruit as necessary.

PINEAPPLE TOFFEE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease well a 9 inch round cake pan.
• Drain pineapple, discarding juice for another use. Reserve 7 pineapple rings. Coarsely chop the remaining pineapple.
• Melt 4 tbls. of sliced butter in the cake pan over medium heat. Remove from heat and sprinkle with toffee bits.
• Arrange pineapple rings in the pan, placing a cherry in the center of each.
• Sift together dry ingredients.
• In another bowl beat sugar and the 8 tbls. butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes One at a time beat in the eggs, followed by vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• At low speed, the the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the yoghurt. Mix until smooth. Do not overmix.
• Stir in chopped pineapple.
• Spread the batter evenly over pineapple rings and cherries.
• Bake until top is golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. - about 40 mins.,.
• Let cool in pan 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around the inside of the pan. Place a serving plate over the pan and invert pan and plate together to unmold.
• Enjoy.

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN GINGERBREAD CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 F Peel, core, and slice pears lengthwise into 1/4" slices.
• Combine 1 Tbls ginger, lemon juice, and pear slices.
• Coat a 9" x 2" round cake pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Arrange pears in bottom of pan in a circular pattern.
• Combine brown sugar and butter in a large mixer bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended.
• Beat in egg.
• Add buttermilk, molasses, and 1 Tbls ginger; beat until well blended.
• Combine flour and remaining ingredients EXCEPT powdered sugar.
• Add flour mixture to batter; stir until well blended.
• Pour over pears.
• Bake 40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
• Cool in pan 20 minutes on wire rack.
• Sprinkle a serving plate with powdered sugar.
• Invert cake onto serving plate.
• When completely cool, garnish with mint leaves and raspberries.

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.

STICKY PEAR & GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Put the chopped dates in a pan with the milk, butter, ginger preserve and dark muscovado. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the mixture starts to bubble round the edges of the pan. Stir well and set aside for 1 hr to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base of a buttered 23cm springform tin with baking parchment. Peel and chop the pears into large chunks. Mix the flour, chopped pecans and bicarb with the spices, then stir into the cooled date mixture with the eggs. Pour into the tin and scatter over the pears. Roughly break the reserved pecans and drop on top. Bake for 40 mins, then cover the top loosely with foil and return to the oven for 25-30 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just sticky crumbs - the cake may still look a little wet around the pears.
• While the cake is baking, make the brandy syrup. Tip the light muscovado sugar into a pan with 50ml water and dissolve over a low heat until syrupy. Stir in the brandy and set aside. When the cake is ready, spoon over half the syrup, then leave the cake to cool before serving with extra syrup on the side.
• To freeze, cool the cake in its tin, then wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and warm through in a low oven. The syrup can be frozen separately, warmed, then drizzled over as before.