Upside Down Pear Cake

Delicious fall desert when pears and maple sugar are abundant. The original recipes (printed in bon appetit, october 1986) calls for granulated maple sugar, but i use brown sugar which is more readily available, and pure maple syrup.

Steps

Preheat oven to 375f.

Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch round cake pan.

Sprinkle with brown or maple sugar.

Cream 5 tablespoons butter 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.

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.

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.

To make whipped cream topping: beat cream until soft peaks f.

Ingredients

butter, brown sugar, sugar, maple syrup, pears, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, eggs, sour cream, walnuts, whipping cream, powdered sugar, bourbon