I love baking this on a cold day and enjoying a slice warm from the oven…
Make a batch of this gingerbread cake, add as many halved poached pears as will fit on top, glaze it with caramel sauce, and you will eat the whole thing. The batter mixes together quickly and makes your home smell divine. It’s perfect for brunch, a rustic dessert, or an afternoon treat. (Omg, and with strong coffee in the morning, be still my heart!) Basically, it’s a 24-hour cake, so you can’t go wrong eating it all day long.
Pear Gingerbread cake
by Betsy Thorleifson, owner and head baker at Nine Cakes
Makes one 9” cake, serves 6-8
You’ll need:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
3 tbsp fresh ginger root, grated
2 tsp cocoa
8 tbsp butter
¾ cup molasses
¾ cup sugar
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
3 ripe pears
Heat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9” cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and cocoa in a medium bowl, set aside.
In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter, molasses, sugar, cream, sour cream, and egg on low speed with the paddle attachment.
Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until the batter is smooth and thick, about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed — be careful not to overmix! Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and lightly level the surface.
Prepare your pears by peeling, cutting in half, and coring. Gently place the pear halves in a circle on top of the cake batter, with the top end of the pear pointing toward the center.
Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, and the edges have started pulling away from the sides, about 40-50 minutes.
Thank you, Betsy! Visit her beautiful bakery in Hudson, New York, if you’d like.
P.S. A perfect snacking cake, and pound cake with apples, French style.
(Photos courtesy of Betsy/Nine Cakes.)
