Pear and Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Serve a scoop of spice ice cream alongside this upside-down cake for a delicious fall dessert.

12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1¾ cups Erythritol Gold, firmly packed
3 firm but ripe pears, such as Anjou
1 lemon, freshly juiced
1 cup cranberries
2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
3 large eggs
1 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Combine 6 tablespoons butter and ¾ cup brown sugar in a medium skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until melted and thoroughly combined, about 6 minutes. Pour into a 10x2" professional round cake pan.

Peel pears, core, and slice into ½" thick wedges. Coat with lemon juice, and arrange on top of brown-sugar mixture in a spiral pattern around edge of pan. Fan out slices in center. Sprinkle ½ cup cranberries over pears, and set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together in a medium bowl, and set aside. Combine remaining 6 Tbsp. of butter with remaining cup brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add milk alternately with flour mixture, beginning and ending with four; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining ½ cup cranberries; pour over fruit in pan.

Bake until a tester inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around eggs and invert onto a serving platter. Serve with spice ice cream.