PEAR-GINGERBREAD UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Pear-Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake image

Yield Makes 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
3 Anjou pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
2/3 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
2 large eggs
3/4 cup ginger preserves (such as Robertson's)
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch nonstick baking pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Transfer 1/3 cup butter to small bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar into remaining butter in saucepan until blended (mixture may be grainy). Spread butter-sugar mixture in prepared pan; slightly overlap enough pear slices to cover mixture. Dice enough remaining pear to yield 1 cup.
Using electric mixer, beat molasses, reserved 1/3 cup butter, and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Beat in eggs, then preserves. Beat in flour and pumpkin pie spice; stir in diced pears. Spread batter over pears in pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Invert cake onto platter; cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.