A Topsy-Turvy World
This week we celebrate today's young graduates, whose lives, needless to say, are about to turn upside down. And what better way to send them out into the world than with a yummy cake, which just happens to be upside-down. This minor miracle of topsy-turviness starts with a layer of fruit in a sweet, syrupy, buttery glaze in the bottom of a heavy pan or skillet. Over this, a cake batter is poured. After baking, in a culinary sleight of hand, the whole shebang is reversed out onto a serving plate, the fruit underneath now a gloriously attractive and gooey topping. Our version features fresh pears and dried cherries rather than the more typical pineapple slices. Studded with pecans and dressed up with maple syrup, this ultra-moist, rich upside-down cake may well be the best you’ve ever had. To celebrate your baby's launch into the real world, serve it up with a glass of cold milk and an iPod and a car and a Treo and a ....
Maple-Pecan Pear Upside-Down Cake
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Ingredients
Topping:
| 1/2 | cup apple, cherry or cranberry juice |
| 1/2 | cup dried cherries |
| 3 | tablespoons butter |
| 2/3 | cup packed light brown sugar |
| 1/4 | cup maple syrup |
| 1 | red D'anjou pear, barely ripe, sliced |
| 1/2 | cup pecan halves |
Cake:
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| 1 3/4 | cups all-purpose flour |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoons baking powder |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 1/4 | teaspoon salt |
| 1/3 | cup butter, softened |
| 2/3 | cup granulated sugar |
| 1 1/2 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 1 | egg |
| 1/2 | cup buttermilk |
Instructions
| 1. | Preheat the oven to 350F. |
| 2. | To make topping, pour juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil; add dried cherries. Let stand. |
| 3. | Over medium heat, melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch metal pie pan. Turn off heat. Sprinkle brown sugar as evenly as possible over melted butter, patting it down with your fingers. Pour maple syrup over brown sugar mixture-do not stir. |
| 4. | Drain cherries, reserving both juice and cherries. Arrange pear slices, cherries and pecans over the sugar mixture in the skillet. Set aside. |
| 5. | To make cake, sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in vanilla and egg. |
| 6. | Pour reserved cherry-soaking liquid into a measuring cup, and add buttermilk to equal 2/3 cup. |
| 7. | Alternately add 1/3 of flour mixture and 1/3 of buttermilk mixture to butter mixture, beating gently in between. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Do not overbeat. |
| 8. | Drop batter gently, by spoonfuls, over prepared fruit and topping, spreading lightly. |
| 9. | Bake about 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately run a knife around the inside edge of the skillet. Let cake cool 5 to 10 minutes, then place a flat serving plate larger than the skillet on top of it. Invert, allowing the skillet to rest a few minutes for the topping to settle. Gently remove the skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve 8. |
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 390 calories, 12g fat, 5g prot., 68g carbs., 2g fiber, 280mg sodium.
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