Honey Cardamom Pear Upside Down Cake
Uses [KitchenAid® Stand Mixer](https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers.html).
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter (room temp)
1/4 cup honey
3 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup fine grind cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 medium pears (peeled, cored, quartered and sliced in 1/4" slices)
1/4 cup honey (for caramel pear base)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
1/4 cup butter (for caramel pear base)
Step by step
Special Equipment: KitchenAid® paddle attachment; 9” round cake pan; saucepan.
Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Place a large tin foil sheet on the rack below your baking rack to catch any bubbling juices while the cake is baking.
Make the caramel base. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan on medium high heat. Once melted, add 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup honey and gently whisk until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to come to a heavy bubble, then reduce heat to medium and cook for another minute. Remove from heat, whisk and then spread evenly in the cake pan. Layer 2-3 pears in whatever pattern desired. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and 1/4 cup honey. Set aside.
Attach the paddle attachment to your KitchenAid® Artisan Stand Mixer, and cream the 3/4 cup butter on speed 6 for one minute. Reduce speed to 4, and slowly stream in the granulated sugar. Once sugar is fully added, increase speed back to speed 6 and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla.
Reduce mixer speed to 2 and add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture in three additions; beat just until blended after each addition. Spread batter evenly over pears.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. (At 50 minutes, if the cake has browned on top but is not cooked through, you can lightly cover with foil for remaining bake time.) Remove cake from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for five minutes before inverting the cake onto a rimmed plate and releasing the cake. (NOTE: A rimmed plate is necessary to catch the juices that will release when the cake is turned over.)
Can be served warm, or cooled completely.