Pear Upside-Down Cake

Name: Pear Upside-Down Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons baking powder; 3 Tbsps coarse yellow cornmeal or polenta; 2 larges eggs, separated; 0 teaspoons kosher salt; 454 grams medium pears (about; 237 milliliters sugar, divided; 177 milliliters unbleached all-purpose flour; 9 Tbsps unsalted butter, room temperature, divided, plus more; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 118 milliliters whole milk

Pear Upside-Down Cake is a vegetarian dessert. One serving contains 326 calories, 4g of protein, and 15g of fat. This recipe covers 5% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe serves 8. Head to the store and pick up unbleached flour, sugar, vanillan extract, and a few other things to make it today. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 45 minutes.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter pan; linebottom with a parchment-paper round.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Equipment you will use

Oven

Frying Pan

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, andsalt in a small bowl. Stir 1/4 cup sugar and2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan overmedium-low heat until sugar dissolves.Increase heat to medium-high. Boil syrupwithout stirring, occasionally swirling panand brushing down sides with a wet pastrybrush, until sugar turns dark amber, 8-10minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Baking Powder

Cornmeal

All Purpose Flour

Sugar

Water

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Whisk

Bowl

Remove pan from heat; add 1 tablespoonbutter (caramel will bubble vigorously)and whisk until smooth.

Ingredients you will need

Caramel

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Frying Pan

Pour caramel intoprepared cake pan and swirl to coat bottom.

Ingredients you will need

Caramel

Equipment you will use

Cake Form

Peel, halve, and core the pears.

Ingredients you will need

Pear

Place flaton a work surface and cut lengthwise into1/8"-thick slices.

Layer slices over caramel,flat side down, overlapping as needed.

Ingredients you will need

Caramel

Mix remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 8 tablespoonsbutter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Using anelectric mixer, beat on medium speed untillight and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Vanilla

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Blender

Bowl

Add yolksone at a time, beating to blend betweenadditions and occasionally scraping bowl.Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions,alternating with milk in 2 additions,beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Ingredients you will need

All Purpose Flour

Milk

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whiteson low speed in a medium bowl until frothy.Increase the speed to medium and continueto beat until whites form soft peaks. Foldabout 1/4 of the whites into cake batter.

Ingredients you will need

Egg

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Add in remaining whites; gently fold justto blend.

Pour batter over pears in pan;smooth top.

Ingredients you will need

Pear

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Bake cake, rotating pan halfway through,until top is golden brown and a testerinserted into the center comes out with afew small moist crumbs attached, about1 hour.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Frying Pan

Let cool in pan on a wire rack for30 minutes. Run a thin knife around insideof pan to release cake. DO AHEAD: Can bemade 1 day ahead. Store airtight at roomtemperature.

Equipment you will use

Wire Rack