(Photo credit: Melissa of melissamakesbread)

Melissa of melissamakesbread.com, a professional baker in the Catskills, recommends this pear cake be made with Devoe pears, an heirloom variety of pear, and one of our pear selections this week. These pears are aptly described by her as having "long narrow neck[s] and tight, juicy, honey-flavored flesh." The cake looks amazing!

Pear Upside Down Cake
7 ounces unsalted butter (1 ¾ sticks), at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 lemon
5 pears
1 cup pastry (or all-purpose) flour
½ cup almond flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 3/4 stick of butter with the light brown sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove the topping from the heat. Pour it into a 9-inch round cake pan, and spread it out to reach the sides. Set aside.

Juice the lemon and strain the juice into a medium-sized bowl. Add one cup of cool tap water to the bowl. The diluted lemon juice will prevent the pears from discoloring as they are prepared. One by one, peel each pear, cut it in half and trim off the stem. With a melon baller remove the seeds, and then cut each half in half. Place the pear quarters into the diluted lemon juice, tossing them gently to coat.

When all of the pears have been quartered, arrange them in a concentric circle on top of the upside down topping.

To prepare the cake batter, sift the pastry flour, almond flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Then place 4 ounces of butter (one stick), and the granulated sugar into the mixing bowl and cream on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then add the vanilla extract.

Add one-third of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed to combine. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and add half of the milk. Mix on low speed to combine. Continue to add the flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour. Pour the batter on top of the pears.

Place the cake on the center rack in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for just a couple of minutes and then invert it onto a serving platter.