ASIAN PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

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Congratulations to PECADO DA GULA for the 6th blog anniversary!
Today I bring to you an upside-down cake that I'm "taking" to Akemi's blog anniversary at  PECADO DA GULA, which is turning 6! The party is going to be on november 11th. What a special date! As special as her blog, with the beautiful and delicious things she makes, not to mention the very sweet person she is.

Akemi has Asian background and missed Japan when I posted my Triangle Kimbap, so I decided to make something Asian for her blog anniversary, using the most popular fruit in Asia: the Asian pear.

Asian pear is a succulent fruit, and for this reason, I was afraid that using it raw in the bottom of the pan as I do with apples and bananas could produce too much moisture, so I cooked the pears first on caramelized sugar before baking with the cake.

The cake batter recipe I adapted from Bolo de Iogurte com Maçã from my friend's blog  Eternos Prazeres.

ASIAN PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yogurt (I used homemade)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used grape seed oil)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar + 1/4 cup for caramelizing

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour 

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Asian pear (750g)

Start by caramelizing 1/4 cup of sugar over low heat in a pan. Once the sugar is amber color, add the pear, which has been previously cored, peeled, and sliced. Cook for about 10 minutes. It should be cooked but still hold its shape.  Carefully turn the slices for an even caramel color.

Arrange the slices of pear in the bottom of a loaf pan, along with any remaining caramel from the pan. You may overlap the slices. Set aside.

For the dough, use a blender to mix all the ingredients, except for the flours and baking powder.

Sift the flours and baking powder into a bowl and add the contents of the blender. Whisk well and pour over the reserved pears.

Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 40 to 50 minutes or until checking with a skewer, it comes out clean.

Let it sit until warm before unmolding.