PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CHOCOLATE CAKE

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CHOCOLATE CAKE image

Yield 1 9 inch cake

Number Of Ingredients 21

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Ingredients

Pears:
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 Bosc pears, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
Cake:
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely ground toasted almonds or hazelnuts
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 lg eggs at room temp
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Steps:

For the pears: Lightly butter a 9 inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper and butter paper. Put the butter, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice in a large skillet. Cook over med heat, stirring, until melted. Add the pears, cover and simmer, turning once, until the pears are soft and juicy, about 4 minutes. Pour the pears and their syrup into a strainer set over a saucepan. Set the syrup and 1 pear quarter aside. Arrange pears in pan 1/4 inch from sides, with stem ends towards center and rounded sides down. Chop reserved pear and place pieces in center just enough to fill. Set aside. For the cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Scald milk in a small saucepan; keep warm. Whisk flour with almonds, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Beat butter with an electric mixer at med speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to med-high and gradually add granulated sugar; continue beating until mixture i light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl. Add cocoa powder and vanilla and beat 1 minute. While mixing at med-low speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. While mixing slowly, add flour mixture in 4 additions; turn off mixer and fold in the hot milk with a rubber spatula. Spread the batter over the pears, taking care not to disturb them. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to settle the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate. Cool briefly, carefully peel the parchment paper from the top, and then cool completely. To finish the cake: Boil the reserved pear syruo until slightly thick and lightly brush the top of the cake. Whisk a few tbs of cocoa powder with an equal amount of confectioner's sugar and sift over the cake.