Martha's Pear Upside Down Cake

 As I often do, I used a recipe from Martha Stewart for this excellent Pear Upside Down Cake. I find her recipes work and are always liked by my family and friends. Pears are available most of the year now and we eat them fresh but they are so good in cakes and desserts. This is a little more work to make the spirals of pear and you need to layer the cake batter gently on top so as not to disturb the arrangement of the pears, but it is so good that you will be glad you took the time to make it.

 Pear Upside-Down Cake

For the Topping:

 4  tablespoons  unsalted butter

1/2 cup  packed light-brown sugar

  3  ripe pears -- such as Bartlett or Anjou, peeled and cored

  For the batter:

 1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

  2  teaspoons  baking powder

  1/4 teaspoon  salt

  8 tablespoons  unsalted butter -- (1 stick)

  1  cup  granulated sugar

  1  teaspoon  pure vanilla extract

  2  large  eggs -- separated

  1/2 cup  whole milk

  1/4 teaspoon  cream of tartar

Make the topping: Melt butter in the bottom of a 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Swirl to coat the bottom; remove from heat, and cool. Cut pears into 1/4-inch-thick wedges, and arrange them in a circular pattern over the brown-sugar mixture to cover completely; set aside.

 Make the batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract; beat to combine. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine.

  Alternating with the milk, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix, on low speed, just until the flour is incorporated.

  In a large bowl, beat reserved egg whites and the cream of tartar with a hand mixer until stiff but not dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg whites into the batter. Transfer to skillet. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly, being careful not to disturb the pears.

  Bake until well browned on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan, and immediately invert the cake onto a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Soft whipped cream is so good served on top.