This almost effortless Gingerbread Pear Upside Down Cake is tenderly spiced with fall flavors, drizzled with an easy salted caramel sauce and studded with perfectly cooked pears. It is the perfect cake to serve to guests (or have for breakfast) when you need a beautiful yet easy fall dessert.
Liberally grease a 10" cake pan with butter and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the 4 Tablespoons of butter.
Add in the sugar and simmer for 4 minutes, without stirring.
Remove the pan from heat, and then carefully stir in the salt.
Pour the caramel into prepared cake pan, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the pan, and smooth evenly over the bottom.
Arrange the pear slices on top of the caramel sauce in a pretty pattern. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together 1/2 cup of room temperature butter and sugar untill light and fluffy.
Add in the egg, vanilla, molasses and honey and mix until combined.
Add in the spices, salt, baking soda and flour.
Mix in the milk until combined and the batter becomes smooth.
Carefully pour the batter over the pear slices and smooth to create an even layer.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan, on a wire rack, for 10-15 minutes, and then turn out onto platter by inverting the cake pan. You might want to loosen the edges with a dull knife first.
Serve warm, with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. The cake is also good room temperature.