Ginger and Pear Upside-Down Cake

Method

To reduce the amount of faff, use a 20cm silicon cake mould for this recipe. If you don;t have one, cut out a circle of baking paper that is roughly 2cm larger than the base of a 20cm springform or loose-based round cake tin. Grease the sides of the tin and place the paper circle in the base, pressing up the sides slightly. This will help hold the caramel.

Topping

• For the pears, make a caramel by melting the sugar in small, deep saucepan over a low heat until golden brown, stirring only once most of the sugar has melted. (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully. Use a deep pan to avoid bubbling over.) Add the butter and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon very gently until melted.
• Take the pan off the heat and stir in the rum and ginger syrup (see recipe) until the sauce is smooth. Leave the caramel to stand for 15–20 minutes, or until it cools enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally.
• Place a baking tray on the bottom of the oven to catch any caramel that leaks out if using a cake tin and preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
• While the caramel is cooling, peel the pears, cut into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each pear quarter into 3–4 long slices. Place the pear slices in the caramel and turn to coat. Arrange the pear slices in a fan shape in the bottom of the prepared cake tin.

For the cake mixture

• Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and mix until smooth. Alternatively, place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until a smooth mixture is formed. Gently spoon the mixture over the pears and smooth the surface taking care not to disturb the base layer.

Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the cake is well risen, firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

If using a silicon mould: Allow the cake to cool which will stiffen the caramel pear layer. Place a rack or plate over the mould with your hand beneath and flip over. Gently peel away the mould taking care not to lift off any of the top layer with the mould.

If using a cake tin: Using oven gloves to protect your hands, carefully loosen and remove the sides of the cake tin. Place a serving plate over the cake and carefully turn over. Remove the tin base and baking paper. This needs to be done while the cake is warm otherwise the caramel will harden and the cake will be more difficult to remove.

Slice and serve the cake warm with ice cream as a dessert or by itself as a teatime treat.