Pear Cake with Rosemary Syrup

Rosemary is my all time favorite herb.  I love that it is so easy to grow, and when cared for, can last through the cold winter. I use it in just about everything. Roasted chicken, coffee syrup, cocktail makings, and desserts. In this recipe, the rosemary simple syrup pairs nicely with the sweet pears and the buttery cake. I hope you enjoy this cake that I shared with The Fruit Company, using their delicious Bartlett pears. Enjoy!

Upside-Down Pear Cake with Rosemary Syrup
serves 8

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar plus ¼ cup for the syrup
½ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 pears, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into ⅛” thick slices (D’Anjou or Bartlett)
6 sprigs rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and rub into a 9” cake pan.

Peel, halve, and core the pears. Place the pears on a flat work surface and cut lengthwise into ⅛” thick slices. Layer over the melted butter, flat side down, overlapping as needed.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and combine. Pour the batter over the pears. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, heat the rosemary with ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until the sugar has melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour. Discard the sprigs.

Take a butter knife and run it along the sides of the pan. Place a cutting board or plate over top of the cake. Holding onto both sides, flip the cake over. Tap on the cake pan and gently lift the pan. The cake should slide right out.

Brush the top with the rosemary syrup and serve warm.