I live in Tornado Alley.

Have I mentioned that?

Have I ever mentioned I’ve lived here lifelong and am yet to grow accustomed to boiling skies in ominous shades of icky, greenish gray? Storms are taken seriously in this neck o’ the woods!  The very first time I tried this recipe, a tornado producing storm hit my area. Halfway through the baking time, local sirens screamed their alert!

Well, what’s a girl to do?

Priorities!

Yank the cake!

That poor cake got slapped from hot oven to cool stove top in lightening (pun intended) speed, the Mascats were (gently…sort of) stuffed into their carriers and we bolted for the tornado shelter to ride out the storm.

Deep breath…

I don’t recommend adding a dash of straight line winds with spin-off funnel clouds to your usual baking routine. And yet I can attest that if those storms should occur, this cake will still perform beautifully! Although the pears might be sloshed askew; oh my, it’ll taste so comforting and soothe the frayed nerves of unpredictable weather!

Recipe-wise, the Kamut yields a milder, sweeter flavor to this cake than, say, a Hard Red Wheat would. Kamut also has a unique nutritional profile with fair amounts of manganese and iron and a higher protein content than wheat.

May there ever be sunny, blue skies on all your baking days!

Let me know!

Upside Down Pear Kamut Cake

2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup maple syrup, divided
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 or 2 big pears, either roughly diced or nicely sliced
1 1/2 cups freshly milled Kamut flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 large organic or pastured eggs
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or kefir
1/3 cup butter, melted and minimally cooled
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In an eight-inch oven proof skillet, heat the two tablespoons maple syrup and the coconut oil over medium heat. Once the oil is warm, overlap the sliced pears in a fan pattern. Alternatively, spread your diced pears in an even layer across the skillet. Sauté for two or three minutes until the pears barely begin softening and the syrup is warm. Remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter, remaining maple syrup and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to dry; gently stir to incorporate.

Pour the cake batter over the pears that are in the oven proof skillet, taking care to spread batter to the edges of the skillet without upsetting your pears. Bake for a scant twenty five minutes, but begin watching it around twenty minutes. When inserted into the middle of the cake, a knife should come out clean, demonstrating the cake is done. Remove from oven and cool for fifteen minutes or so. Flip skillet onto a serving platter. Admire it’s beauty!

This cake will last a couple days in the refrigerator. If it dries out a little, it’s no problem! There’s half-and-half for that. Drizzle away!

Recipe adapted from the Homemade Flour Cookbook.

With love and butter,

Jessica