Pear Upside-Down Gingerbread Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3  peeled small pears, cored and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 pound)
• 2  tablespoons  grated peeled fresh ginger, divided
• 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
• Cooking spray
• 2  tablespoons  granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1  large egg
• 1/2  cup  low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4  cup  molasses
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  dry mustard
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cloves
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1  teaspoon  powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine pears, 1 tablespoon ginger, and lemon juice. Coat a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Arrange pears in bottom of pan in a circular pattern.

Combine brown sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Beat in egg. Add buttermilk, molasses, and 1 tablespoon ginger; beat until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg). Add flour mixture to batter; stir until well-blended. Pour over pears. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack. Place a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar upside down on top of cake pan; invert cake onto plate.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

244 (26% from fat)

Fat:

7.1g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.9g,poly 2g)

Protein:

3.3g

Carbohydrate:

43.3g

Fiber:

1.2g

Cholesterol:

28mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

323mg

Calcium:

66mg