Ingredients
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tin
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
12 teaspoons packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 ripe Bartlett pear, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into thin wedges
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large whole egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter the cups and top of a muffin tin with six 8-ounce cups. Place 1 teaspoon butter in each muffin cup. Top each with 1 tablespoon corn syrup; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons light-brown sugar. Arrange 7 or 8 blueberries in each cup. Cut pear slices to fit the shape of muffin cups; place 4 or 5 pieces on top of the berries, spreading slices to cover berries. Arrange remaining berries over the pears, and set tin aside.
Into a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat granulated sugar and remaining 5 tablespoons butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk; beat until smooth.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in two batches, alternating with buttermilk, and beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.
Pour 1/3 cup batter over fruit in each muffin cup. Gently tap bottom of tin against counter several times to evenly distribute the batter.
Bake cakes until golden around the edges and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool in tin.
