Recipe: Pear Upside Down Cake and Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Here are two recipes from Martha Stewart. I would just use the directions from the Pineapple Upside Down Cake to prepare the Pear Upside Down Cake.

Pear Upside Down Cake
From: Martha Stewart
Makes 1 nine-inch-square cake

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan.
5 large ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons brandy
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water

Heat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch-square cake pan; set aside. In a large bowl, toss pears with lemon juice. In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add half the pears, cut sides down, in single layer; cook until brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn pears over; cook other sides until brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pears to a plate. Cook remaining pears; transfer to plate. To pear juices in skillet, add brandy, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cook, stirring, until reduced to syrup, about 1 minute. Pour into cake pan; swirl to spread. Starting in one corner of pan, fan out pears in single layer; arrange so the tapered sides lie in same direction. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt; set aside. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter until fluffy. Add brown sugar; beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat to combine. Beat in molasses and grated ginger.

Add half of flour mixture; combine on low speed. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and boiling water; beat into batter. Beat in remaining flour mixture until combined. Pour into pan; bake 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F; bake until springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Run a knife between pan and cake. Invert cake onto a serving plate. Arrange pears as needed, and serve.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
From: Martha Stewart
Makes one 10 1/2-inch cake

1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 whole pineapple (about 3 1/2 pounds), outer skin removed and uncored
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup heavy cream, well chilled
2 tablespoons dark rum

Heat oven to 350 . Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place cherries in a small heat-proof bowl. Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over dried cherries, and soak for 10 minutes. Drain well, and coarsely chop. Using a wide Japanese mandoline, slice whole pineapple as thinly as possible. Set aside. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet. Cook until deep amber, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Spread caramel evenly to coat the bottom of the skillet, and sprinkle with dark-brown sugar.

Center one piece of pineapple in the skillet. Place pineapple slices in a tightly overlapping circle. Make a second ring, completely covering the bottom and continuing at least halfway up the sides. Place one remaining slice in the center of the skillet on top of the circles. (Be certain that there are no gaps as the bottom will be the top upon inversion).

In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream remaining butter, remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, and vanilla-bean scrapings. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in milk and almond extract. Slowly add sifted flour, scraping sides as needed. Using a rubber spatula, fold in chopped cherries. Pour batter into pineapple-lined skillet. Spread batter evenly with an offset spatula.

Place skillet on a prepared baking sheet, and transfer baking sheet to oven. Bake until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour cream into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add rum. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, 45 to 60 seconds. Remove cake from oven, and pour excess liquid from skillet into a measuring cup. Carefully invert onto large cake plate, and pour reserved liquid over cake. Serve with rum-spiked whipped cream.