Chocolate Butterscotch Upside-Down Pear Cake

Ingredients

Chocolate Butterscotch Upside-Down Pear Cake

• 1/3 cup soft brown sugar
• 5 medium size pears, peeled & cored
• 1 cup unsalted butter, chopped
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 ½ cups gluten free flour
• ¼ cup good quality cocoa powder
• 1 ¾ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ cups caster sugar
• 1 cup hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
• 1 teaspoon Heilala vanilla paste
• 1 teaspoon Heilala butterscotch vanilla extract
• Whipped cream, to serve
• Caramel butterscotch sauce, to serve

Caramel Butterscotch sauce

• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup cream
• 1 teaspoon Heilala Vanilla butterscotch extract
• Pinch sea salt
• ¾ cup butter at room temperature, chopped

Instructions

Chocolate Butterscotch Upside-Down Pear Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (325°F)
Line the base and sides of a 22cm (8 ½ inch) round springform baking tin with parchment paper, leaving 2cm (3/4 inch) above the rim
Place 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar on a plate and dip the cut side of each pear in the brown sugar. Place cut side down into a non-stick frying pan over high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until caramelised and golden. Arrange the pears, cut side down, in the base of the pre-prepared tin.
Place 1 ¾ tablespoons of the butter and the remaining brown sugar into the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over the pears.
Place the almond milk and remaining butter into a saucepan. Heat over a medium heat until the butter is melted. Transfer to a large bowl.
Sieve together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.
Add the eggs, sour cream, caster sugar, hazelnut meal, vanilla paste, butterscotch extract and sieved ingredients to the almond milk mixture. Whisk until combined then gently pour over the pears, place on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack, allow the cake to cook in the tin.
Remove the cake from the tin, peel off the baking paper from the side of the cake and invert onto a cake stand, peel off the remaining baking paper. Drizzle butterscotch caramel sauce over the top.
Serve with whipped cream and extra butterscotch caramel.

Caramel Butterscotch sauce

Place the sugar and water into a deep medium saucepan.  Heat over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Increase the heat and boil undisturbed until the sugar begins to turn to a golden brown, swirl the pot to ensure evenly colour.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cream and butterscotch extract.   Take care as it will boil up furiously.   Return to the heat for a further 1 minute, stirring constantly to incorporate all the ingredients.
Remove from the heat and add the butter stirring constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture is thick and glossy.
Pour into a jar, seal and store in the fridge until ready to use.