Pear Upside-Down Cake

This is a variation of a Mark Bittman recipe. I changed the amount of flour because I think there is a misprint and I added the cranberries for decoration and the ginger and chocolate because they are my favorite flavors. If you use the cranberries, you may want to use a more substantial cake batter (add more flour) because they float. I have a different cake recipe that is thicker if you don't like to experiment. If you want the cranberry/pear flavor to be more prominent, leave off the chocolate. I couldn't figure out how to do it the other night, but definitely served warm with ice cream would be excellent. I also have variations for plums, apples, blackberries, pitted cherries, cranberries, pineapple, and green tomatoes.

8 TBL unsalted butter, melted and divided in 1/2
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped almonds
3-4 small ripe pears, peeled, cored, and halved (if using large you can cut them into 4 or 8 pieces)
a handful of cranberries
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBL finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz. dark chocolate
2 TBL cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Liberally grease a 9" round cake pan or cast-iron skillet with half of the butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar and almonds evenly over the bottom of the pan and spread the pears in the pan in a single layer. If using cranberries, place a cranberry in the core of each of the pear halves or slices.

Whisk the remaining melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, ginger, and sugar together until foamy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well incorporated.

Carefully spread the batter over the pears, using a spatula to make sure it's evenly distributed. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for just 5 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Put the serving plate on the top of the cake pan and flip the pan so that the serving plate is now on the bottom and the cake pan upside down and on top. The cake should fall out onto the serving plate. If the cake sticks, turn it right side up and run the knife along the edge again, then use a spatula to lift gently around the edge. Invert the cake again and tap on the bottom of the pan. If any of the fruit sticks to the pan, don't worry; simply use a knife to remove the pieces and fill in any gaps on the top of the cake. Serve warm with ice cream.