Upside down pear and ginger cake

I made this dessert last night for a meal this evening. The smells in the kitchen as it was cooking were wonderful. Steve was hoping that I wouldn't be happy with it and that we could eat it last night for tea. Unfortunately for him it looked just like the picture in Olive Magazine this month, and he won't even get a chance to try it. 

Ingredients
Serve 10
125g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of fine sea salt
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
A pinch ground cloves
1 medium egg
125g light brown sugar
90g black treacle
125ml soured milk (I used a few drops lemon juice added to fresh milk)
50g melted

TOPPING
50g butter
400g tin of drained pears

100g light brown sugar
walnut halves to decorate

Method

Heat oven to 180°C
To make the topping, gently melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the sugar and stir for 1-2 mins (mine looked a bit separated at this point, it didn't seem to matter) Smooth over the base of a greased 20cm cake tin with a removable base, 7cm deep (I used a larger tin about 23cm) Arrange the pears on top, cut-side down with a few walnuts around the outside.

Sift the flour, bicarb and spices in a bowl and add ¼ tsp of fine sea salt.
Blend the egg, sugar, treacle, soured milk and butter in a separate large bowl, and fold in the flour mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon for 1 minute, and then pour the mixture over the fruit in the tin. Put on a baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes (check at 40 mins) until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (try to skewer a patch with cake rather than a pear!). Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edge and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
To serve, remove the collar if using the tin with the removable base, and turn onto a plate or cake stand. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Avoid chilling. Serve with cream or creme fraiche.

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