Pear Upside Down Cake

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside.

For the topping, in a small bowl, combine the melted butter and maple sugar. Spread this in the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Arrange the pear slices on top of the butter/sugar mixture.

For the cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and maple sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the milk and beat again. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and beat.

In a clean, medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gently and gradually fold into the cake batter in a few additions. Spread the batter over the pears in the pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 40–50 minutes, or until the cake is golden-brown and it springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

Invert onto a serving plate or cake stand. Serve warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or custard.

Adapted from my Rhubarb Upside Down Cake recipe, which was adapted from Taste of Home.