Buttermilk Pear Upside-down Cake (gluten-free)

Preheat your oven to 350*.
In a large bowl stir the oat flour, almond meal, sweet rice flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and clove until combined.
In another bowl whisk the eggs then whisk in the buttermilk, butter, applesauce, and vanilla bean paste.
In a 9-inch cast iron skill melt the 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Once melted turn off the heat and tilt the pan to grease all sides. There will be a pool of butter in the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle the muscovado sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan and gently spread with a spatula so the pan is evenly coated.
Whisk the wet ingredients with the dry until just combined and set aside. Avoid over stirring.
Holding the pear upright make 4 slices around the stem so you have 4 large pieces of pear. Place each on its largest flat edge and slice into 1/8-inch pieces. Discard or eat the small end pieces.
Place the pear slices in the pan overlapping slightly with the skinny tip towards the center. [refer to photo 5]
Slowly pour the batter over the pears trying not to disturb them and gently spread the batter to the edges of the pan with a flexible spatula.
Place on the center rack of your oven for 28-35 minutes. The liquid in the bottom of the pan will be bubbly around the sides. The cake should look golden brown and a toothpick should come out slightly sticky, not gooey, wet, or bone dry.
Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes then place a plate over top and with oven mits on hold the plate and pan together then flip the pan over. The cake should release easily to the plate.
Let cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Cake will firm up as it cools and develop a crunchy crust around the edges.
Serve as is or with vanilla bean ice cream, pecans, or whipped cream for dessert.

​​3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
3/4 cup almond meal
6 tablespoons sweet rice flour
6 tablespoons muscovado sugar, or coconut sugar/sucanat/brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon clove
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk*
3 tablespoons butter*, melted + slightly cooled
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce, or pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract
1-2 pears, with a little give
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup muscovado sugar