PIONEER WOMAN UPSIDE DOWN CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the cake batter: Combine the flour, granulated sugar, milk, shortening, baking powder, vanilla, salt, eggs, pineapple juice and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until well combined. (There will still be a few small lumps in the batter.) Set aside.
• Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat; swirl to thoroughly coat the skillet. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, making sure it's evenly distributed--you want the entire surface of the butter to be covered in brown sugar. Do not stir. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat, layer the pineapple slices over the top and add cherries to the middle of the pineapple slices. Pour the batter evenly over the pineapple and gently spread to even out the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake, then put a plate upside down on top of the skillet. Carefully invert the skillet so the cake is turned onto the plate. It should come out pretty easily; if bits of cake stick to the skillet, use a small knife to patch it together. Let cool slightly before cutting into wedges. It's best served warm, but room temperature is fine too.

Steps:

• 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.