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Here at G Catering, we always look forward to Fall. The smell of leaves burning and the sweet smell of hickory smoke for the BBQ. All the trees changing colors lends themselves to all of the colors you find in great Fall produce, from apples and pears, to pumpkins and butternut squash. Here we chose the pear, which turns an amazing golden color against the rich texture of the ginger cake, along with the pops of red if you garnish with pomegranate seeds or fresh cranberries. Your kitchen will fill with scents of warm spices. A great introduction to Fall with a cup of hot cider.
Traditionally, this dish is cooked in a cast iron skillet. We have used a non-stick pan to cook the pears and a 10-inch spring form for the cake.
Items you’ll need
10-Inch Spring Form Cake Pan
Non-Stick Sauté Pan
Melon Baller
Tongs
Stand Mixer, optional
Caramelized Pears
6 Pears (We used Bartlett Pears, however, you could also use Anjou or Seckel)
10 TBSP Unsalted Butter
1 C White Sugar
1 C Light Brown Sugar (Packed)
Cake
½ C Molasses
½ C White Sugar
½ C Vegetable Oil
1 Egg
1 ¼ C All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Ground Ginger (Combined well in ½ cup of warm water)
1. To prepare your pears, peel and then cut in half lengthwise. Use a melon baller to remove the cores and stems of the pears.
2. On the stovetop in a nonstick sauté pan, sprinkle the white sugar, and light brown sugar across the bottom of the pan on medium heat, then add the pears flat side down. Once the sugar starts to melt, add 5 ounces of butter in dollops on the melting sugar. This will slowly create the caramel.
3. Shimmy the pears around the pan while it begins to caramelize. Do this for 20 minutes on the flat side, until you see them transition to a darker color. Flip the pears over and cook for 10 more minutes. Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the hot burner. Let the pears cool a little bit while you make the cake.
4. To prepare the cake, preheat the oven to 325F. Add the molasses, white sugar and vegetable oil to the standing mixer with paddle attachment, or mix by hand until smooth and homogenized, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, and mix until combined. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix well, but do not over-mix.
Last, slowly pour in ginger water mixture making sure to get all of the ginger in there. Give the bowl one final scrape to make sure all dry ingredients are completely mixed.
5. Spray the bottoms and sides of the spring form pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Carefully spoon out between ¼ and ½ a cup of the caramel across the bottom of the spring form pan. Use tongs and arrange the pears, cut side down over the caramel (12 halves fit comfortably in the bottom). Pour the cake batter over the pears.
6. Place pan on a cookie sheet in case any caramel leaks out. Bake for 20 minutes. After that time, turn the pan and give it another 13-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Remove the spring form and invert it onto your cake stand.
TIP
Add fresh cranberries for a pop of color when you arrange the pears in the spring form pan or garnish with pomegranate seeds