Salted Maple Pear Upside-Down Cake

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook 3–4 minutes, swirling, until it foams and smells nutty with brown flecks. Stir in the maple syrup, brown sugar and 1/4 tsp flaky salt and simmer 1 minute.
2. Pour the maple caramel into a 9-inch round cake pan (not springform) and tilt to coat the bottom. Arrange the pear wedges in overlapping concentric circles on top.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and fine salt in a bowl.
4. In a large bowl, beat the remaining 6 tbsp butter with the granulated sugar using a hand mixer on medium-high for 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
5. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two, beginning and ending with flour, mixing just until combined.
6. Spoon the batter over the pears and gently spread it to the edges. Bake 40–45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan exactly 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge, place a serving plate on top and invert in one quick motion. Lift off the pan, replace any pears that stuck and sprinkle with the remaining flaky salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kitchen tip

Timing the flip matters: too soon and the cake is fragile, too late and the caramel sets and glues the pears to the pan. Ten minutes is the sweet spot. Choose pears that are ripe but still firm, such as Bosc or Anjou; very soft pears turn to mush. Apples, quince or fresh cranberries mixed with the pears also work. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.

General nutrition information, not medical advice. Talk to your own healthcare provider about your needs.