Not too early for gingerbread cake
I don’t need to tell you what’s happening in two months. If you’ve poked your head into any retail outlet, harmlessly looking for boots or pillows or cat litter, you’ve seen the signs for Christmas 2015. In the olden days, you wouldn’t see such stuff until after Halloween, but it seems like every year the goods are coming out quicker and quicker. Some of you may have already started (or finished) your shopping, to which I give you a high five. I’m not, nor will ever be, one of those people. Most days I’m lucky if my to-do list gets crossed off, and then I reward myself with tea and cake. Fair deal.
Do you think it is too early to talk gingerbread? Heck, no. Images of cake are a constant in my brain, and this one in particular has been taking up residency lately. Upsidedown pear gingerbread cake is one of my all-time faves — quite simple in preparation and if I tell you it’s low fat, will you believe me? OK fine. It’s not super duper low fat, but there is apple sauce in it, which busts out some of the butter. This cake has everything you want your gingerbread to be — spicy, tender, not too sweet and it smells like Christmas.
I adore pears. Their subtle sweetness and floral fragrance make them one of my favourite fruits to eat out of hand and to bake with. The pears in this recipe get the caramelization treatment and lend an air of sophistication to an already awesome cake. Bits of candied ginger add a little fire to the pears as they bubble away in the oven with the butter and sugar. A simple gingerbread batter is poured over top. Smooth it out, bake it off.
I love baking cakes in my wellseasoned cast iron skillet. The heat is evenly distributed and you can’t go wrong with the rustic appeal. If you don’t have a skillet you can still bake the cake in a regular cake pan — never fear. Carefully (remember, this is a hot skillet and hot cake) invert onto a pretty platter just a little bit larger than the skillet. Dish out slices of this gingerbread while it’s still warm, and top it with good vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream. Whether served at the holidays or on a chilly weeknight with a mug of tea, it’s sure to bring you comfort and joy.
Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
Topping:
>1/3 cup butter >2/3 cup packed brown sugar >3 ripe pears (I used Bartlett) peeled and cored, each pear cut into 8 slices, for 24 slices total. >2 tbsp candied ginger, diced small
Cake:
>1/4 cup butter, softened >1/2 cup packed brown sugar >2 large eggs >1 cup unsweetened applesauce >1/2 cup molasses >1 1/2 cups all purpose flour >1 1/2 tsp ground ginger >1 tsp baking powder >1 tsp baking soda >1 tsp ground cinnamon >1/2 tsp ground cloves >1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bottom of a nine-inch ovenproof skillet melt the butter and stir in brown sugar until smooth or pour melted butter into the bottom of a nine-inch round baking pan, stir in the brown sugar. Off the heat, arrange pears on top of the butter/ brown sugar in a pretty circle. Sprinkle the crystallized ginger on top. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Stir in the applesauce and molasses. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir into molasses mixture, until smooth. Pour batter over pears, smooth top and bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Run a knife around the edges and carefully invert onto serving platter. Do this as soon as cake comes out of oven. Let it hang out for a minute or two, so all of the topping comes out. If any pears remain in pan, simply press them into cake. Serve warm with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. Serves eight.
“At its point of perfection, an apple shouts, a pear whispers.” —Nigel
Slater