A Taste of Canada

          Now that I'm married to a Canadian, every time I taste or smell pure maple syrup the Canadian maple leaf pops into my head. I have come to learn that those Canadians are sure proud of their maple leaf. Brandon of coarse LOVES maple-flavored almost anything, so I knew he would love this Maple Upside-Down Cake. You can have it prepped for the oven in just 20 minutes and it looks like you took a lot longer to make it than you really did (my kind of recipe!). As you can see, the very middle of my cake didn't release from the pan all that well when I flipped it over. But the rest came out beautifully! The pears were juicy and tender and the maple syrup caramelizes the top of the cake wonderfully. Try this cake for an extra-special breakfast or a dessert -- you won't be disappointed!

• Ingredients:
•      1/3 cup maple syrup
•      3 peeled Bartlett or Anjou pears, each cored and cut into 8 wedges 
•      1 cup all-purpose flour
•      3/4 teaspoon baking powder
•      1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•      1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
•      1/4 teaspoon salt
•      2/3 cup sugar 
•      1/3 cup butter, softened 
•      1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
•      2 large eggs
•      1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• Directions:
•      1. Preheat oven to 350°.
•      2. Bring syrup to a boil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; arrange pears in pan in a spoke-like fashion. Place pan over medium-high heat, and cook until syrup thickens (about 4 minutes), gently shaking pan frequently.
•      3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt); stirring well with a whisk. Place sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
•      4. Pour batter evenly over pear mixture in prepared pan; wrap handle of skillet with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Run a knife around outside edge. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Place a plate upside down on top of cake; invert onto plate. Serve warm.

Tips:

• Make sure to use real, pure maple syrup. That imitation stuff won't work well with this recipe (and it doesn't taste NEAR as good!).
• Watch the cake carefully while it bakes to avoid over-baking. I always set the timer for 10 minutes less than the recipe instructs, checking it every couple of minutes after that. I have saved quite a few baked goods from over-baking doing this!