Pear Upside Down Cake

For the pear topping:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and using the butter wrapper (or oil spray), grease the sides of a 9″ cake pan. Set aside.

2. Peel pears and slice 1/4″ thick, avoiding and discarding the core and stem. Add pears to a non-reactive bowl and toss with the whiskey. Set aside to marinate.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt and gently brown the unsalted butter. This should only take a few minutes, so stay with it. It can quickly go from nutty and browned to bitter and burnt. Pour browned butter into the bottom of your prepared cake pan.

4. Next, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and gently spread it out so it covers the entire surface. Finally, arrange the marinated pear slices over the brown sugar in a nice, even layer. Reserve the pear whiskey liquid for your cake batter.

For the cake:
1. In a bowl, mix together the all purpose flour, baking powder and sea salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and vanilla sugar and beat on medium high using a paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Stop mixer and scrape down again. Mix once more.

3. While that is fluffing and mixing, in another bowl or measuring cup, mix together the room temperature milk, reserved pear whiskey liquid and vanilla extract.

4. With your mixer on medium low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture into the butter and sugar, pouring in half of each at a time and starting with the flour mix. Stop and scrape down sides before adding the next half. Once everything is mixed in, beat batter for about 10 seconds on medium high to really incorporate.

5. Carefully pour batter into your prepared cake pan over the pears and gently spread it into one nice even layer. Pat the pan on the counter a few times to settle the batter into the nooks and crannies. Place pan on a tinfoil lined rimmed baking sheet and place in the center of your preheated oven.

6. Bake cake for about 35-40 minutes, turning it halfway through to ensure even cooking. Cake is done when it is amber brown around the edges, liquid is bubbling on the sides, center is golden in color and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle (be careful not to go all the way down).

7. Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool 5-10 minutes before trying to flip. Once cool enough to handle, place a plate or cake platter over top of the pan and very carefully flip the entire thing over. Gently remove pan. Everything should have nicely landed on that plate. Let it cool slightly before serving or serve later that day!

Cake is best eaten the day it is made, but it can be made a day ahead and served the next day. Just allow it to cool completely, wrap gently in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

Notes:
1. Makes one 9″ cake.
2. Cake slightly adapted from Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes.