Pear Upside-Down Spice Cake

This attractive cake is a good choice to round out a fall menu. Use Bartlett or Anjou pears, if you prefer.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 3  cups  sliced peeled Bosc pears (about 3 pears)
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  instant coffee granules
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  cup  granulated sugar
• 5  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4  cup  buttermilk
• 
  Glaze:
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 1  tablespoon  water
• 1/2  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
• 3/4  cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  buttermilk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, arrange pear slices spokelike in bottom of a 9-inch cake pan coated with cooking spray, working from the center of the pan to the edge.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a bowl.

Combine granulated sugar and 5 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and 3/4 cup buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon batter over pears; spread evenly.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula; invert cake onto plate. Let rest 2 minutes; remove pan.

To prepare glaze, combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon water, and juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts. Stir in brown sugar; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons buttermilk. Let stand 2 minutes; pour glaze evenly over cake.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

295 (25% from fat)

Fat:

8.1g (sat 4.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

3.6g

Carbohydrate:

53.4g

Fiber:

1.6g

Cholesterol:

38mg

Iron:

1.4mg

Sodium:

198mg

Calcium:

37mg