Old Maid Cake

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda 
• 0.3 cup firmly brown sugar packed
• 0.3 cup firmly brown sugar packed
• 0.3 cup egg substitute 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 0.5 cup buttermilk low-fat
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• 0.3 cup blackstrap molasses 
• 1 pound pears 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 3 tablespoons walnuts chopped

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• wire rack
• spatula

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 37
2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; stir well.
3. Combine buttermilk, egg substitute, molasses, and 2 tablespoons melted margarine in a bowl; stir well.
4. Add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.
5. Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar; cook over medium heat 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat; sprinkle with walnuts.
7. Peel and core pears.
8. Cut each in half lengthwise.
9. Cut each half into thin slices, cutting to, but not through, stem end. Fan pear halves; place, core sides up, on top of brown sugar mixture in skillet.
10. Pour batter over pears; bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
11. Let cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert onto a cake plate.
12. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and pear slices, if desired.