Buttermilk Pudding Cakes With Caramelized Pears

Pears taste like fall to me, so I decided to incorporate them into this dessert. The cake recipe is based on one in The Lee Bros. Simple, Fresh, Southern Cookbook and is delicious! For this dish, I used brown sugar instead of granulated because it would be a nice complement to the caramel sauce the pears are cooked in. The cakes are super-simple (no mixer required) and cook in only 9 minutes—perfect for a last-minute sweet!

Buttermilk Pudding Cakes With Caramelized Pears
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. apple pie spice
Caramelized Pears
Vanilla ice cream

1. Beat eggs with a whisk until creamy and yellow; whisk in buttermilk and next 3 ingredients. Combine flour and next 2 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, whisking until the batter is smooth. Divide batter into 8 lightly greased muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
2. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to plates; serve with Caramelized Pears and vanilla ice cream.

Caramelized Pears:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 pears, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup light rum
1/4 tsp. apple pie spice
Pinch of salt

1. Combine butter and sugar in a skillet until butter is melted and sugar dissolves; add in pears and remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pears are tender and sauce comes together.