Maple Pecan Pear Upside-Down Cake

Maple Pecan Pear Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Some serve this cake with ice cream or whipped cream, but this really isn't needed. A glass of cold milk, however, is a welcome accompaniment. The cake is especially delicious when still slightly warm.

Ingredients
Topping:
½ cup apple, cherry or cranberry juice
½ cup dried cherries
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1 red D’anjou pear, barely ripe, sliced
½ cup pecan halves

Cake:
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1⁄3 cup butter, softened
2⁄3 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. To prepare topping, pour juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil; add dried cherries. Set aside.
3. Place butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch metal springform pan (wrap bottom with foil to prevent leaks). medium heat. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over 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 sugar mixture in skillet.
5. To prepare cake, sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In another bowl, beat butter with a 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 after each addition. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk mixtures. Do not overbeat.
8. Spoon batter over fruit and topping, spreading lightly.
9. Bake about 45 minutes, until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve 8.

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish a Classic Dish, Sept. 2007.

Relish 2008 Fall Supplement.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 390 calories, 12g fat, 5g prot., 68g carbs., 2g fiber, 280mg sodium.


Other Recipe Suggestions

If you liked this Maple Pecan Pear Upside-Down Cake recipe, then you should try these other tasty recipes.

Share This Recipe With Others:


Discuss this Recipe

Here are some of the current comments about this recipe. To read more or post your own comments, visit our message boards.
I made this recipe because it just fit ingredients I had on hand, including having my cast iron skillet sitting out on the stove because I hadn't put it away from using it for corn bread the day before! This was so good I decided to make it a second time, but I had to make a couple of adjustments. I didn't have pears, so I used a large Cameo apple. Instead of dried cherries, I substituted Craisins - dried cranberries. And I still had just enough maple syrup that I needed to use up. It turned out at least as good as the original, if not better!
TxVee
3/12/10 6:48 PM

discuss this recipe Post your comments on this recipe

Recipes

Search for recipes. Enter an ingredient or keyword.

 

My Recipe Box

Sign up to be a Relish Recipe Tester!

Your Email Address:
Full Name:


where to find relish

Relish magazine is distributed monthly through newspapers across the country. If you local paper does not carry Relish, ask them why not?