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.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 1 9inch cake

Ingredients

•  butter or  margarine, for greasing pan
•  brown sugar or   maple sugar
• 5  tablespoons butter or 5  tablespoons margarine, room temperature
• 1⁄3 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon maple syrup
• 4  pears, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into 6 pieces
• 2  cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  cup brown sugar or 1  cup  maple sugar
• 6  tablespoons butter or 6  tablespoons margarine, room temp
• 2  eggs
• 1  cup sour cream
• 1⁄3 cup maple syrup
• 3⁄4 cup  chopped walnuts (optional)

• Optional whipped cream topping

• 1 1⁄2 cups  whipping cream
• 3  tablespoons powdered sugar
• 2  tablespoons Bourbon (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch (3" high) round cake pan.
3. Sprinkle with brown or maple sugar.
4. Cream 5 tablespoons butter (or margarine) with brown and white sugar.
5. Add maple syrup and salt.
6. Spread topping mixture into prepared pan.
7. Press pear slices into sugar mixture, arranging them in a spoke design.
8. Set aside while preparing cake batter.
9. Sift together dry ingredients (flour-cinnamon). Set aside.
10. In a medium bowl, cream 6 tablespoons and 1 cup brown or maple sugar together until light.
11. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
12. Add sour cream, beating until smooth.
13. Mix in maple syrup.
14. Fold in flour mixture and then walnuts, if using.
15. Pour batter into prepared pan (over pears).
16. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
17. Cool 10 minutes.
18. Run knife around cake and invert cake onto platter, leave pan on cake an additional 5 minutes before removing pan very carefully.
19. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream topping (recipe follows).
20. To make whipped cream topping: Beat cream until soft peaks form.
21. Add sugar and bourbon, if using.
22. Continue beating until soft peaks form again.