Upside Down Pear Cake

I found the recipe for this cake in a very old copy of Cooking Light magazine. It was the first cake I’ve ever (successfully) made from scratch! Pears have been on sale lately being that its fall and the flavor was so perfect for the season. Subtle spices plus the gooey sweetness of the pears and glaze on top – it became a new favorite comfort food. 

Ingredients
3 cups sliced pears
1/2 cup brown sugar
cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
5 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Arrange pear slices spoke-like in bottom of a 9-inch cake pan coated with cooking spray,
working from the center to the edge.
Sprinkle with brown sugar.
Combine flour through cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk it together.
In a separate bowl combine sugar and butter. Blend until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and egg. Beat well.
Add flour mixture and 1/4 cup buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture,
beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Spoon batter over pears, spread evenly.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour (or til a toothpick comes out clean)
Cool completely on a wire rack.
Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula; invert cake onto plate.
Let rest a couple minutes then remove pan.

Make Glaze
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp buttermilk
Combine butter, water, juice in sauce pan over medium heat, stirring til butter melts.
Stir in butter, bring to a boil.
Remove from heat, stir in buttermilk.
Let stand for 2 minutes. Pour glaze evenly over cake.

Makes 12 wedges.