Upside-Down Pear Gateaux

Cake

• 1/3 cup soft unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk

Brown Sugar Topping

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2-3 red pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch heart-shaped cake pans with nonstick spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy.

In large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until smooth.

In a medium bowl, stir together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients; set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and brown sugar, stirring often. Spoon mixture into bottom of cake pans just to cover. Brown sugar mixture may harden, but will melt during baking. Arrange sliced pears over sugar mixture. Spoon cake batter evenly over pears.

Bake gateaux in preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown and cake has pulled away from sides of pan. Remove from oven, set aside 2 minutes to cool, and loosen cake from sides of pans with a knife. Invert gateaux on a wire rack to cool.

Gateaux may be may one day ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and chilled in refrigerator.

To serve, place cakes on serving platters and slice into small wedges.

Recipe makes 2 cakes.