Apple-ginger Upside-down Cake

–CAKE–
1/3 c Minced crystallized ginger
4 tb Plus 1 1/4 cup all-purpose
-flour
1/4 ts Salt
1 c (packed) golden brown sugar
6 tb (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
-at room temp
2 lg Eggs
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1/4 c Whole milk

-CREAM-
1 c Chilled whipping cream
2 tb Sugar
1/4 ts Ground ginger

(Bon Appetit, January 1998)

For topping: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Butter
9″ diameter cake pan with 2″ high sides. Melt butter in small saucepan over
medium heat. Add sugar and cook until mixture bubbles, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in ground ginger. Pour mixture into prepared pan,
spreading with spatula to distribute evenly. Tightly overlap apples atop
sugar mixture making 2 layers of apples. Sprinkle crystallized ginger atop
apples. Set aside.

For Cake: Mix crystallized ginger with 1 tbl flour in small bowl. Sift 1
1/4 cup plus 3 tbl flour, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Using
electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter until light and creamy. Beat in
eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in sifted dry ingredients
alternately with milk. Stir in ginger mixture. Spoon butter atop apples in
pan. Bake cake until brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out
clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes.

Whip cream, 2 tbl sugar, and ground ginger in another medium bowl to soft
peaks.

Run small knife around edges of pan to loosen cake. Place platter over cake
and invert cake onto platter. Serve warm or at room tempereature with
cream.
I halved this recipe and it worked out very well. I’d imagine you can use
peaches, pineapple, apricot, pears, etc. The softer fruits might need
adjustments for dry ingredients. And, of course, it took 4 stores to find
crystallized ginger in New York City!