UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR CARDAMOM CAKE

Upside-Down Pear Cardamom Cake image

Yield Makes 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

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For caramelized pears
4 firm-ripe Forelle or small Bosc pears
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
For cake batter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 cup whole milk
Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Make caramelized pears:
Peel pears, then halve lengthwise and core. Spread sugar on a plate, then press cut sides of pear halves into sugar to coat, reserving remaining sugar.
Melt butter in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low and arrange pears, cut sides down, decoratively in skillet. Sprinkle reserved sugar all around pears. Cook pears over moderately low heat until sugar begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes, and remove skillet from heat.
Make cake batter:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined.
Spoon batter over pears in skillet, gently spreading evenly and being careful not to disturb pears (batter will not cover tops of all pears). Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool cake in skillet on a rack 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge and invert a plate over skillet. Invert cake onto plate (wearing oven mitts), keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Replace any fruit stuck to bottom of skillet if necessary.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature.