SAFFRON-SCENTED PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Buttery and sweet, pears are well suited to pastries and other end-of-meal treats. In an exotic twist on upside-down cake, saffron and ginger exert a Middle Eastern influence on Comice pears.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square or round cake pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Pulse saffron and 1/4 cup sugar in a spice grinder until well combined. Put butter and saffron sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Using a small offset spatula, spread mixture into prepared pan.
- Peel pears; halve lengthwise, and core. Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, cut pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange pears decoratively in pan over saffron-butter mixture.
- Whisk together flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, ground ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking. Stir in crystallized ginger.
- Spread batter over pears. Bake until set and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Place a serving platter upside down over pan; flip to unmold cake. Peel off parchment.
PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Introduced in the 1930s, when cast-iron skillets were more commonly found in kitchens than baking pans, the upside-down, or skillet, cake has survived eras of modernization to remain a beloved dessert. Today, Martha puts a seasonal twist on this old-fashioned favorite, eschewing the classic pineapple for sweet and juicy Bartlett pears-large, bell-shaped fruits with smooth, yellow-green skin.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes
Yield Makes 1 ten-and-a-half-inch cake
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Make the topping: Melt butter in the bottom of a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Swirl to coat the bottom; remove from heat, and cool. Cut pears into 1/4-inch-thick wedges, and arrange them in a circular pattern over the brown-sugar mixture to cover completely; set aside.
- Make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract; beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine.
- Alternating with the milk, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix, on low speed, just until the flour is incorporated.
- In a large bowl, beat reserved egg whites and the cream of tartar with a hand mixer until stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg whites into the batter. Transfer to skillet. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly, being careful not to disturb the pears.
- Bake until well browned on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan, and immediately invert the cake onto a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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