Pear Upside-Down Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 0.5 cup brown sugar dark packed
• 0.3 teaspoon mustard dry
• 1 large eggs 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 2 tablespoons ginger fresh divided grated peeled
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 0.3 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1 tablespoon juice of lemon 
• 0.5 cup buttermilk low-fat
• 0.3 cup blackstrap molasses 
• 3 small pears cored peeled cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices ( 1 pound)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 0.3 cup stick margarine softened

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• wire rack
• blender
• cake form
• measuring cup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 35
2. Combine pears, 1 tablespoon ginger, and lemon juice. Coat a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Arrange pears in bottom of pan in a circular pattern.
3. Combine brown sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Beat in egg.
4. Add buttermilk, molasses, and 1 tablespoon ginger; beat until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
5. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg).
6. Add flour mixture to batter; stir until well-blended.
7. Pour over pears.
8. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack.
9. Place a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar upside down on top of cake pan; invert cake onto plate.